Dark Sword
by Storyjumper
Summary: Cole and her siblings are part Carpathian part Jaguar. They have been hunting vampires since an incident where vampires killed their family. They have since joined a traveling circus and have come to the Carpathian mountains. Here the past and present will clash as Cole tries to protect her family from everyone. After Dark Blood, spoilers if you haven't read it. Review please!
1. Chapter 1

_Damn it's cold_, she thought as trudged closer to her destination. A calm voice replied quite reasonably,

_Well if you didn't stuff so many knifes and other assortment of sharp metal implements under your shirt your body would probably be warmer._ She growled over the mental link.

_I need them. And now is not the time Gale. _Her younger brother chuckled. He was back in the nice warm van watching over their two little sisters. Maria, who was ten years old and little Sarah was a tender eight years old. _She's asleep right?_ She asked for now the ninth time since she set out. Gale snorted across the mental link.

_Yes, put her to bed a few minutes before you left. She won't feel what happens Cole. Don't worry._

_And I'm holding still holding your illusion. _Another bell like voice chimed happily. Cole sighed and tried to restrain the smile pulling at her lips. Maria, was very gifted at holding illusions. Glancing down at an iced over puddle it was easy to see. Her normally curvy body looked like a guy's well-muscled body. Her face resembled that of her brother. In hind sight wasn't much of a stretch she supposed since they were twins, even if fraternal twins.

_Maria, what did I tell you?_

_Keep myself hidden, so they can't feel me through you. _Cole nodded. The smile touched her lips softening her features. A sudden swelling of something foul made Cole shield her sister. He was here.

Vampire.

Cole stopped where she stood and feigned boredom. Every muscle screamed at her to draw her weapons. She fought the urge to reach for the knives hidden by her wrist under her thick fur coat. A taunting laugh echoed through the snow covered forest. Cole grit her teeth and growled impatiently,

"If you're just going to play games, maybe I should find someone else who isn't a pert child to work with." She thanked the heavens that the voice modulator that was jammed into the roof of her mouth worked perfectly. A deep male voice came out of her mouth instead of her own. There was a hiss somewhere in front of her. A tall gaunt figure strode out from the trees.  
>The illusion he projected was one of health, wealth, and muscle. But thanks to her sister in her head, she could see behind the illusion to the foulness beneath.<p>

His skin was pale, and was stretched over his boney frame. His eyes were sunken in and teeth were black and rotten. Evil washed out from him like a putrid wave of gas. Cole resisted the urge to gag as the smell alone choked her. God, she hated this. The vampire strolled up to her.

"Cole, what happened to Trevino?" Cole clamped down on the surge of satisfaction. Trevino was nothing more than a pile of ash near the last camp sight. She shrugged.

"I have no idea, if he has disappeared I have to assume he did not heed my words about the hunter that was in the area. Maybe he thought too much of his strength and challenged the hunter. I told him to warn the rest of you." Cass was pacing back and forth in front of her, clearly agitated with this news.

"No he did not warn us of this. Why didn't you?" Cass demanded, whirling on Cole with glowing red eyes.

"I give him the information to take to you. I guess he was nowhere near as strong as you." That's right, lay it on thick and play to his vanity, Cole thought to herself. "Probably for the best he is gone then, you obviously didn't need someone that weak." The vampire's thin mouth pulled into a grotesque smile. He nodded his agreement.

"Yes, you are right. I am stronger than he was. But everyone needs pawns." Cole shrugged.

"You can use some of the audience of the show." The vampire's smile widened

"What if I want one of the show girls?" Cole snorted, but clamped down on her surge of anger and protectiveness. She would die before this monster laid a finger on anyone in the show or the audience. Her face was carefully blank.

"It's all harder to hide the disappearance of an actor than for someone in the audience who has problems at home to disappear." The vampire nodded his understanding.

"I don't care." The vampire had been slowly moving closer and closer to Cole. He thought that he had hypnotized her with his movements. But her brother had been shielding her mind from it. Once he was within in arm's length said, "You will bring the one called Anna to me." Cole resisted the urge to spit in his face. If there was anyone at the show who was entirely good, it was Anna. She had taken in four kids without question, shielded them from the occasional press that snooped around, and genuinely cared for everyone at the show like her family.

Cole looked the vampire in the eyes and replied,

"Go to the next world and repent there for your sins." The knives at my wrist flashed up into my hands. The left one slid through the soft flesh in the throat. Black blood slid down the knife and splattered against her face and hand. Cole deliberately ignored the burning. She brought up her other hand and swiftly carved a hole over the vampire's heart. He gurgled and lashed at her with claws. But he couldn't turn to vapor with a knife jammed in his throat. Poisonous insects erupted from the snow covered ground to protect their master. Again Cole ignored them. It was too late for him anyway. She cast aside the knife she had used to carve out a hole to its heart. Then she reached in and ripped the still beating shriveled organ. A storm gathered above them and lightening forked down and consumed the organ in her hand and burned away the poisonous blood.

Cass's body slumped to the ground and Cole directed lightening at the body, blood, and bugs. She scanned the whole area, making sure she had purged the vampire's taint from the entire place.

Weariness and pain burned through her body sucking the air from her lungs. Cole looked down to see the bloody rifts in her stomach.

"Fuck." She hissed.

_Cole? What's wrong?_ Gale demanded. She could feel his panic. She shuck off the dizziness and laid a hand on the wound. The blood formed a large bubble around the wounds and congealed.

_It's alright. Just a scratch. _She pulled her fur coat tightly around her, so one would see the odd bubble of dried blood. She sniffed the air making sure the smell of her blood didn't linger.

_Dammit Cole, what happened? _Cole was about to answer when something distracted her. It was like a song. She couldn't make out the words, but she knew the voice. Grandmother. Her brother caught her thoughts. _Cole, that's not possible, Grandmother is dead._

_I know. Someone is deliberately calling me with Grandmother. Someone who will pay. _


	2. Chapter 2

_If it comes down to vengeance and your safety, come home big sis. _

_I will. _Cole pulled a long sword from its strap on her back. It was at least four feet tall. The handle was a beautiful piece of work. Metal curved and gently swirled to cover where her hand would grip the handle. The wooden sheath was a stark black. Cole loved the rapier. It was one of the weapons she used in the show. She smiled at the weapon before making it float in front of her. The weapon twirled in the air until the handle was pointing at the ground and hovered just above the snow. She stepped onto the weapon and directed it toward where the song was coming from. _Gale-?_

_Already shielding you from anyone who might see you._

_Thank you. _Cole leaned forward and her weapon zipped forward across the snowy landscape. It would have been beautiful if anger and vengeance didn't burn through her mind. Memories were threatening to overtake her. Cole ruthlessly pushed them down before they could overwhelm her. She would not fall. The forest passed by her quickly until she hit a wall. It was a sudden overwhelming feeling of dread. A gasp welled up, and she nearly crashed into the snow. Then it was gone as she hung in the air and drew in shaking breathes.

_Sorry Cole, I didn't notice the barrier until you rammed head first into it._

_I noticed._ Cole shuck off the dread and pressed forward towards a cave. _It's odd._

_What?_

_The song, I know I'm getting close to it, but the song isn't getting any clearer._

_Maybe that's part of the trap._

_Maybe._ Cole stepped off her weapon and commanded the weapon back into its carrying strap above her other three swords she had brought with. The cave wasn't steep, but it gradually sloped down into the depths of the earth.

In a house not that far away the Prince of the Carpathian people stood brooding. He like all of his kind in the area felt the vampire's presences briefly. Then it was gone. He had sent a call to find out who it was, but there was no response. So he had sent Andre the ghost to investigate. Andre's reply had not much information to offer. There had been a short battle, where a vampire had been killed. The area had been cleansed in a way that was customary of their warriors, but the smell that lingered neither Andre nor Mikhail had recognized. Here were no foot prints present, but that in and of itself didn't mean anything. His people could fly with the birds and even hover in they so desired. Yet something was nagging at his mind.

Gregori, or the Dark One materialized next to him.

"Any news?"

"No." It was then that Andre reached out again

_Mikhail, I found nothing of the warrior here. But as I was circling around I found a small girl wandering through the woods She can't be more than five years old. She has the feel and smell of a Jaguar. And something shields her mind from me._

_Watch where she goes, but don't approach her._

_She is heading towards the warrior cavern. _That moment Mikhail felt someone breach the barrier around the Warrior Cavern.

_Looks like she's already made it._

_No Mikhail, the one I am following is still a ways out._

_Then someone is already there. _To Gregori he said, "Someone has entered the Warrior Cavern." Both Carpathians as one took the forms of owls. They flew out the door and over the land towards the Warrior's Cavern.

_What is it my love?_ Raven's soft voiced slid through Mikhail's mind.

_I'm not sure, but someone has entered the Warrior Cavern._

_Why?_

_We do not know._

_Do you want me to come with?_ His instant urge to scream no was almost overwhelming. He clamped down on it. Raven's soft laughter curled through him like a warm breeze. _You cannot coddle me forever Mikhail. _

_He could try._ He thought it before he could restrain it. Raven gave an indignant snort and left his mind leaving him feeling rebuffed. God help him, how did he mange to mess everything up. He knew she had been teasing him. Sighing, he turned his focus back to steering the bird's body. The came to the entrance of the cavern and instantly their bodies stretched to become men. Quickly with Gregori leading they made their way through the tunnels. Then they turned into the crystal cavern and saw a figure with their hand on the crystal.

It was a young boy, probably just in his twenties. A thick fur lined coat hung over his shoulders. He had long blond hair that was braided with the braid hanging in front of him. And from the looks of it, the boy's bangs were dyed a vivid red. Swords hung on his back in a make shift sling of straps. The first was a rapier, then a scimitar, next a Chinese hook blade, lastly there was a simple European style short sword. Concealed just below his coat were several throwing knives. Thick baggy pants covered legs and no doubt hid more weapons. He probably even had knives in his big boots.

Gregori stepped out into the opening and the boy whirled around. He bared his teeth t Gregori and Mikhail, but showed no recognition. The boy was muscled, his hands had scars from knives, and not only were two locks that framed his face red, but the tip of his braid was also the same deep red. Joseph would like this boy, Mikhail thought.

_This one is clearly Jaguar also._

_I noticed, but the stone has accepted him, even greeted him. It urges him to give a blood oath._

_But he is Jaguar._

_Yes, so how did a Jaguar get here and not leave prints in the snow. They may have strong psychic gifts, but not that strong._

_I noticed that and wondered, so you think he might be half Carpathian._ Mikhail gave a mental shrug.

_I doubt even that. He smells and feels Jaguar, one of his ancestors might have been. But we have no record of such a pairing until recently._

"It's rude to talk about someone when they standing right in front of you." The boy snarled at them. Mikhail got the impression of a scruffy dog with its hackles up.

"As it is rude to enter a sacred ground without permission?" The boy snorted

"I wouldn't have come if this damn thing," He said gesturing at the crystal. "Hadn't called me here with that damn song! I should smash the thing for its tricks." Mikhail and Gregori both growled. The boy dropped down in a crouch and bared his teeth.

_Mikhail! _Andre's voice echoed over the common path.

_What?_

_I lost sight of the girl._

_What do you mean?_

_She was entering the tunnels and then she simply vanished from sight._

"Cole?" A soft childlike voice echoed through the cavern. Everyone turned to see a young girl with blond hair, bright blue eyes, and dressed in only a thin pajamas and snow boots came walking in.


	3. Chapter 3

If seeing poor little Sarah in this place dressed in only her bedtime clothes hadn't nearly stopped Cole's heart then the figure appearing right behind her did. Her hunting knife was out of her boot, in her hand, and spinning towards the man before she could even scream a warning at her sister.

"Princess!" She cleared the distance between them in about the same amount of time it took for the knife to fly from her hand and impale the man stalking towards her little sister. When she reached her sister she ripped off her coat and flung it around her sister's smaller body. Then she spun her around so she faced Cole's body and hugged her. Cole didn't even care that there was a man bleeding out just feet from her.

_What are you doing here? It's dangerous. _Sarah squirmed and pulled to get out of Cole's arms.

"Cole! That was mean!" Sarah glared at her with tears shining in her eyes. Oh God no, not tears, not here.

"Princess, he could have hurt you!"

"But he wasn't-."

"You don't know that!" Cole tried to reason. Sarah simply stomped her foot and turned her back on her sister. She then walked up to the man who was removing the knife from his chest.

"Yes I did, and I'll prove it." Cole hovered just behind Sarah making sure she was ready to spirit her little sister away if this man decided to attack. She also kept a close eye on the two behind her. She was surprised they hadn't attacked her after she had stabbed one of their friends. Sarah walked up to the man and said,

"Thank you for watching out for me in the forest." When the man said nothing Sarah continued. "I'm sorry my," she paused and Cole had to cross her fingers that her sister would remember her disguise. "Brother hurt you. He thought you were going to hurt me. But I know you wouldn't. You have your honor." Cole resisted the urge to smile at her sister. The man however just continued to stare at the small child who was wringing her hands. "If you'll let me, I'd like to heal you." The man stared at her for a long moment as if he were judging the truth of it. Cole knew he would find no lies in her sister. Then his glance rose to Cole's and Cole met his gaze unflinchingly and unrepentant. She would not be sorry for protecting her sister. Then he turned back to Sarah and nodded.

Sarah reached out attentively as the man kneeled down in front of her. His eyes were always scanning for signs of danger or treachery. Cole snorted,

"I might be okay with hurting you, but my sister will not." The man ignored her. Sarah shushed her as a soft golden light streamed from her palms. She placed them over the wound and slowly the edges of the torn flesh tugged together until the only thing that was left was a faded line. Cole glanced around at the faces of all three men and was rewarded with their shocked expressions. Ha, she thought viscously at them. Not even their grandmother's healing was as quick or as beautiful as Sarah's Cole couldn't help beaming with pride as she picked up her and stowed it back in its sheath.

Cole herded her sister behind and towards the wall so she could protect Sarah and keep an eye on all the men. The man that Sarah healed glided to the side of the dark haired man. The dark haired man spoke again,

"I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"I hadn't noticed. Do you normally ambush people or send trained killers to follow children through the woods?"

"Do you normally let your little sister run unattended through woods invested with vampires and wolves." If Cole had been a dog her hackles would have been raised. Again she bared her teeth at the man. Sarah pulled on her shirt.

"Cole, be nice." Cole watched the three men. She didn't like the look of the one with silver eyes. That stirred something in her memory. Something her grandmother said about a silver eyed man. The Dark One, she suddenly remembered with a slight shudder. Cole turned her back on the three men deliberately showing she thought very little of them. She knelt down in front of her sister.

"Little Princess, what am I going to do with you?" Sarah smiled then she glanced up when the feeling of dread and weariness started pressing against Cole and her. Cole knew her sister could see the weakness from her injury. No doubt the other three had noticed the large bubble of dried blood stuck to her stomach. The pain was starting to get harder to push from her mind. Sarah walked around Cole walked straight up to the silver eyed man when the dread rose another notch. She shouted,

"Stop that! Stop that right now!" She jammed a finger at the silver eyed man. "If you want to say something, say it! But stop hurting my brother!" The dark haired man had a smile pulling at his lips and he seemed to be sharing a joke with the one known as the Dark One. He then said out loud,

"Gregori, enough." The pressure was instantly gone and Cole to resist the urge to sigh in relief. The man then bent down to Sarah's level and asked, "What is your name?"

"Sarah."

"Well Sarah, I think your brother needs to rest. May we escort you home?" Cole pushed the exhaustion and pain aside and came to stand behind Sarah.

"It's time to go Sarah." The dark haired man straightened up.

"We have places you could rest." Cole showed her teeth to the man.

"I would never take any help from the man who helped make me and my sister orphans." She snarled it. It had been a guess that the one in the middle was the prince of the Carpathian people. The prince of their grandmother. But he had lost any right to a say in their lives after the incidents. The man looked confused and a little affronted. Good, she thought.

"I don't think I've met your family before."

"You met my grandmother. She was one of you until she was cast out. Your kind values your royal blood more than it values the innocent bystanders. And when a chance for amends came and we called for your aid, you abandoned us. So you and all of yours can go straight to hell."

"Cole!" Sarah snapped indignantly. Cole sneered at them before calling to her brother and sister. _Shield me and Sarah. _Then both girls vanished from sight.


	4. Chapter 4

Cole swiftly scooped up her younger sister and cradled her against her chest. Then she quickly ran back through the tunnels.

_That was-._

_When we get home, we are going to have a discussion about you being out past your bedtime. Not to mention running around in the snow in your pajamas!_

_I felt you were hurt._ Cole's heart melted. Of course that's why she had woken up, undoubtedly climbed out of her window, and then walked all the way through the snow to her. Cole hugged her little sister tightly to her chest. Then she made sure the coat was wrapped snuggly around her sister.

_Did you walk straight here from the van. _Sarah gave a very un-lady like mental snort.

_No! I walked in someone's foot steps to that busy in then walked from there. _Cole beamed at her little sister. She did well in cover her tracks.

_Good, now I'm going to fly you back to the van. When you get there I want you to go straight to bed. It is well past your bedtime._

_But you're hurt._

_I will be fine little princess. When I get home you can patch me up like new._

_Promise?_

_Promise._

_Okay. _Cole smiled and then pulled her rapier of her back. She let it hover in the air in front of her so Sarah could climb on. When they reached the exit of the cave Cole stopped running and sent Sarah on her way.

_Gale you still covering us?_

_Yep._

_Good, I'm going to lay false trails. No doubt they will try and follow us._

_No doubt indeed. _Cole retrieved ten senbon needles from a wrist guard hidden under her sleeve. Normally senbon needles were used for acupuncture, but Cole found that a six inch needle jammed into soft flesh tended to slow humans down. She wiped one end of them under her armpits. The other end she poked into the bubble of blood. She then levitated them and sent them in all directions. They would go zooming of leaving a faint scent trail for the Carpathian hunters to follow. She would leave a wide open area in the direction opposite of their camp. This way when they realized they had been tricked and went the one direction that didn't have sent they would be all turned around and by then they would be gone.

Cole felt the three Carpathian's in pursuit, so she pulled her twin Chinese hooked blades from their strap and stepped onto the flat part of the blade. She then rose high up in the air and waited. The three men came out a few moments later.

"This isn't good Mikhail." The Dark One told the man in the middle; the one who had spoken to Sarah. So he was the prince. Cole bared her teeth at him. Next time she would make sure he paid for his crimes against her family. "That boy was weak from his injuries, and if he is the girl's only protection." Mikhail chuckled. "This is not a laughing matter Mikhail. That girl could be a lifemate to one of our warriors." Cole wanted to rip the man's throat out. She would never let her sister be forced into a relationship with one of these beasts. Sarah was only six for God's sake.

"Which wouldn't make much of difference Gregori, seeing as the girl is but a child. Besides I think her brother would sooner butcher one of our warriors than let harm come to his sister. I didn't even see the knife he threw at Andre until he was bleeding." Andre grunted.

"He is good I'll give him that, but the child is even more so." Gregori nodded

"I have never, in all my years, seen one who could heal without using magic or leaving one's body. At such a tender age too and her inner light grew brighter after it. These two could be a God sent to our people Mikhail." Mikhail seemed to choose his words carefully.

"I do not think they will willingly help us."

"They need our protection." Insisted Gregori.

"Do they?" Mikhail asked "He took on a vampire and while he was wounded, we couldn't smell the blood on him or the sight. His sister is a healer. I think we need them more than they need us. And from the sounds of it they have every right to hate us."

"You mean what the boy said about his grandmother?" Gregori snorted and Cole had to resist the vicious urge to throw a senbon at the back of his neck. "How do you know he even speaks the truth?"

"His eyes, there was pain and anger there. The little girl looked like she was going to go to tears when he mentioned their grandmother. Whatever happened to their parents and grandparents the children clearly view it as our fault, particularly mine if his reference to the royal blood is anything to go by." Cole sneered at him. Yes it was his fault, and she would make sure he suffered greatly for it especially after they used that damn crystal to trap her there. Cole directed her sword towards home after she made sure the three were chasing her false leads. She hovered close to the ground, and tried to reach out to her brother mentally, but she was exhausted. Her vision blurred as the ground rose up to meet her. Then everything was still and the only thing Cole was aware of was the cold seeping into her body. Am I going to die here, she wondered as her eyes drifted shut. She was going to die because she over extended herself. Her father wasn't going to be happy about this. Snuffling noise distracted Cole, bringing her out of her thoughts of the afterlife. Warmth spread through her body as a dog snuggled close to her. No, it was not a dog, it was a wolf. Cole opened her eyes to see a beautiful tricolored female wolf nuzzled up against her, but it felt wrong. It was like the wolf was a Carpathian. Unconsciousness swallowed Cole up before she could comprehend what her senses were telling her.


	5. Chapter 5

Cole clawed her way back to consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was she was no longer cold or wet. This made no sense as she had fallen asleep in the snow. Warmth cocooned her body. Cole reached out to survey herself and her surroundings. Most of her weapons were strapped down to a table behind her. All the weapons that were concealed under or in her pants were still in place. The throwing knives that had been strapped to her breast binding were still there. Cole sighed in relief. That meant whoever had found her hadn't realized that she was a woman. She stopped trying to open her eyes. She was still too weak to so much as open her eyes.

But why? Sure she had over exerted her abilities last night, but at least a day had passed. She should be at full strength now. Then a scuffing sound came from another room. A girl's voice trilled softly,

"Dimitri please? He can sense the darkness in you and the male wolves." A male voice obviously Dimitri answered,

"No Skyler. He's dangerous, weapons were flying through the air." Well that explained why all her swords were strapped to the table.

"None of the weapons came near me, and you know it. He needs medical attention. Those wounds are from a vampire. He fought a vampire that we all felt. We, I am not going to abandon him now." Dimitri growled

"You healed him last night." That was true. The bubble of dried blood was gone and her stomach had been healed, but it wasn't like when Sarah healed her. The wound wasn't completely healed, if she moved too much she would open the scab. Though she didn't think she would bleed to death if that happened.

"But it isn't completely healed. If he sits up now the wounds will open up again."

"Fine but I will watch from the other room and if he attacks you I will kill him." Cole had to fight to keep herself relaxed. There was no doubt in her mind that the man who spoke would kill her. Like hell she was going to die here. There was no sound, but suddenly Cole felt the presence of a woman. She stopped in front of the bed.

"Where did he go?" the presence was gone. If Cole hadn't been so completely exhausted she might have laughed. So her brother was shielding her from their sights, because he realized she couldn't be reached. "How did he manage to get past us?" the soft sounds of paws clicking against hardwood floor made Cole hold her breath. The wolf whined as if upset with her disappearance. Part of Cole wished to assure the creature that she was fine, but she knew the creature was connected to the woman and the man. If she had any hope of escaping she had to be quiet. "He left his weapons too!" the girl ranted.

"He couldn't have gotten far." To the wolves he said, "Come on." The wolf in the room with Cole hesitated, but then turned and padded out of the room. Cole waited for a long moment, until she was sure the two were gone. Then she forced her eyes open and her body up. Quickly she grabbed her boots and the knife concealed in her tread. She sliced through the leather bindings and made the weapons and the straps fly up into their places.

Then she limped through the house barely taking note of the furnishings as she slipped out of the front door. She would have to hurry and then she would have to go into town. If she went straight home she would just lead these people to her family. She would have to go into a tavern where she would be able to get rid of her natural scent. Then she could make her way home.

She made her way quickly through the snow covered landscape. She spared a glance at the forest. It was quite beautiful, here. Her grandmother had painted murals all over her house of the varying seasons and places she loved. Her deepest wish had been that she would be able to return home. Cole swallowed hard, that would never happen now. All she could do now was protect her sisters and brother and pray they would be able to live full lives once their hunting was done. Cole was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't even see the man materialize in front of her. She slammed into his hard body and stumbled back.

Cole took in the man and growled at him. He wasn't much older than herself. She might have laughed at his hair if it hadn't been for the fact that hers was probably just as outrageous. His black hair was spiked out in all directions and the tips were dyed blue. His pale skin practically glowed in the night. Then he smiled at her. Shit, she thought. No illusion in the world could hide the fact he practically felt her up. Even if he were human, which he was defiantly not, he couldn't have failed to notice her breasts. Damn! Damn! Damn! She swore at herself before lashing out with her foot.

"What a pretty illusion. Can I ask why you're disguised as a man?"

"Maybe I'm transgender." The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. Thank God the voice modulator still worked.

"That was neither the answer nor the voice that I was expecting. And sorry I know for a fact you are not transgender." Cole growled at him. He flashed her a smile with perfect white teeth that made her heart do an odd flip. Oh God no! It can't be him! No, she refused to accept it, they were just pretty stories her grandmother told them at night. Lifemates didn't actually exist. Images of her parents and grandparents flooded her mind. The love that was always so obvious. She had dreamed to find that, but not here, and certainly not like this!

"Sorry to disappoint, but I have work to do." She throw a knife at him and her whole being screamed in horror and outrage. She sighed in relief when he quickly side stepped.

"Feisty, but you'll hafta do a little better than that." His male amusement grated at her already frayed nerves. Cole smiled sweetly at him and purred.

"Like this?" The knife came flying back, and the butt of the knife connected to the back of the man's head with enough force to crack his skull. The lights went out quickly and he dropped to the ground. Cole rushed forward and caught him before he slumped face first into the snow. "Bastard." She told him. "I should let you freeze to death." But she knew she wouldn't. She sat him down by a tree. Then turned to the surrounding forest and howled in distress. She heard a response deep in the forest. Cole pulled her Chinese hooked blades and directed them towards town.


	6. Chapter 6

Skyler and Dimitri heard the call of distress. They reached out for what they thought was a wolf, the pitch and tone sounded like a real wolf, but their wolves said otherwise. It was not a true wolf. They made their way and Skyler almost panicked when she saw the body. She recognized the blue black hair.

"Joseph!" she rushed to his side. The smell of blood was coming off him. Thankfully it was only a little bit of blood. Skyler looked him over, there was bump on the back of the head where someone had got him really good. Skyler went out of her body becoming light and went into the wound. She started putting his flesh back together and mended the crack in skull. Slowly Joseph pulled out of unconsciousness. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ow, where is he?" Joseph knew the girl had disguised herself as a boy for a reason. And if anyone had seen her they would have seen a boy. Joseph certainly didn't want anyone one else chasing her. She had enough troubles without being chased.

"Did he have red streaks in his hair?" Joseph nodded

"Lots of swords, knives, and dressed like a mountain man. Yeah, he threw a knife at me and I dodged it. Then I went down." Skyler snorted

"Yeah, he can levitate objects. Judging by the wound on the back of your head he slammed the butt of the knife into your skull. Though then he called us." Skyler looked at Dimitri confused. "But why would she call us?" Dimitri looked between Skyler and Joseph.

"You were probably right. He can feel the shadow that exists in males, but because Joseph hasn't lost his emotions or the ability to see in color yet he didn't want to hurt him. But I get the feeling he doesn't want to be followed either so he knocked out Joseph when they crossed paths."

"But he is still wounded!" Joseph's heart nearly dropped to his feet. He hadn't noticed any injury. He growled,

"How was badly was he injured." Dimitri stepped protectively in front of Skyler. Skyler looked between the two men. She had never seen Joseph so worked up before.

"He had claw marks on his stomach. We think he fought the vampire we all felt. I healed most of the damage, but his body contained extensive scar tissue. I couldn't heal it all the way, and," Skyler glanced at Dimitri. "Dimitri walked in and all the weapons started flying around. He actually sat up and wrapped his body around me while all the weapons were aimed at Dimitri. I managed to calm him down. Then he fell back down. I don't even think he was completely aware of what he was doing, I think he just reacted to the darkness in Dimitri and the wolves." Joseph nodded. That explains why she didn't leave him to freeze to death. He chuckled at the thought.

"I'll go after him. Just leave it to me." Dimitri and Skyler exchanged looks and Skyler snorted.

"Why? So you can be the big hero and get your butt kicked again?" Skyler wasn't even bothering to hide her amusement. Joseph rolled his eyes and shapeshifted into a wolf. His coat was just like his hair black with blue tips. "Finally managed the wolf form huh?" Joseph as a wolf rolled his eyes then looped off into the forest heading towards town. Sniffing the air was no help. Somehow she was masking her scent. He sighed and made his way across the snowy ground. After a few minutes of running the sounds of the town drifted down to him. Shifting again into human form, he strode forward into the town the town.

It never failed to amaze him how so many humans could be out late at night. At least Carpathian's had a reason for their late nights. He passed by the tavern and inn and was about to continue on when something he caught his attention. A poster was hung on the wall. It was of the circus that was in town. Tigers, horses, and people in colorful outfits decorated it, but what caught his attention was a boy at the bottom right hand corner of the poster. A boy with a long blond braid stood there. His hair had two red streaks that framed his face and one at the bottom of the braid. He snatched the corner of the poster and then headed off towards the camp ground.

The grounds were bustling. Tents were rising and animals were pacing restlessly in cages. Horses were dancing around in a corral. People walked to and fro carrying various items of various sizes. A small child zipped past him and Joseph focused on her. She wasn't human and not Carpathian. She whirled around as if she felt something wrong. Her gaze locked onto Joseph and he saw her little bright blue eyes widened in shock. She certainly knew what he was.

"I'm looking for someone." He held out the piece of the poster to the girl. Her eyes darted from the paper to Joseph's face and back again. She positioned her feet slightly apart as if she was going to fight him. Joseph held up his hands to show he wasn't armed. Which while he didn't have a weapon that didn't mean he wasn't one. The girl almost as if she read his thoughts turned and ran. Joseph sighed and jogged after her. She was heading towards the animal cages. She ducked around a large cage and managed to squeeze her tiny body through the bars and ran to the giant snow tiger that was curled up in the center of the cage. The tiger lifted its head to stare at the little girl then looked past her at him. The tiger stood and advanced toward Joseph growling. The girl stood but the large cat's head and had her hands on the back of his neck. It reminded Joseph of the way a small child would hold onto their pet dog when they were afraid. "I won't hurt you or your sister." If at all possible the girl's eyes got even bigger.

"How do you know Cole's a girl?"


	7. Chapter 7

Joseph rubbed his eyes. His instinct was to say he felt it, but this was her little sister. He was not that kind of idiot.

"I met her in the woods. She thought I was someone else and when she attacked her illusion slipped." The girl raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're a very good liar." She noted blandly. Joseph laughed, her sister had taught her well.

"What gave me away?"

"Cole doesn't control the illusion. Maria can sleep holding that illusion there is no way it slipped or fell." Joseph chuckled.

"So it wasn't anything I did it was my lack of knowledge." The girl nodded. "Is Maria you're older sister or younger?" Now the girl was eyeing him suspiciously.

"What makes you think she's my sister?"

"Because you said she had the power of illusions. You and Cole both have the feel of Jaguar people." The girl tilted her head to the side, like she was confused. "Jaguar people have psychic gifts; illusions are probably a result of such gifts."

"Jaguar people?" Joseph scratched his head. His knowledge of the Jaguar people was limited from what he had overheard from his Uncle Bryon Justicano and his lifemate Antoinette Scarletti.

"Hmm, It's hard to explain, but from what I know they are pretty much just human's that can take the form of a jaguar. And the jaguar protects the human."

"I've never turned into a jaguar." Joseph glanced around and wondered why none of the circus folks weren't panicking about a child snuggled up with a tiger.

"Do you think we could discuss this away from the giant tiger?" The girl shuck her head no sending her gold locks bouncing around her face. "People are going to notice and then they are going to get worried." A sly smile spread across her faces and lit her eyes up with mischief. Joseph knew that look, he had seen it in her sister right before he got hit over the head with a knife. He quickly scanned around him, but there was no one accept humans around.

"Nope." She replied quite happy.

"How can they fail to-." Her sister he thought suddenly. He stilled and listened intently but there was still nothing. No energy to give away an illusion was being cast, and yet there was the distinct feeling that someone was drawing near. "Your sister is hiding you isn't she?" The girl's smile got bigger.

"Nope." There was no lie in her voice and yet she was seeing something he wasn't sensing. Her eyes briefly flicked to look just over his shoulder, so whoever was sneaking up on him was getting close.

"Cole isn't going to throw a knife into my back is she?" Now the child looked straight up offended.

"Cole wouldn't do that! She only kills bad people or to protect us." Joseph had already guessed that and smiled.

"I know, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to end up with another bruise on the back of my head, or my manly ego." The girl giggled at him.

"You're weird." Joseph shrugged

"I suppose, but it's fun to be weird. Then no one expects anything of you and you can surprise them." He sighed "So, I'm going to go, but before I do I have to ask one question." She looked at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"Is the show good?" she blinked at if completely thrown off by his question. Then he gestured to the tents that were rapidly being set up. The girl bobbed her head. "Well then, I think I'll hafta see it. I look forward to seeing it." Joseph then took a step back and made a deep bow so that his spiky hair nearly scraped the dirt. "I bid thee farewell then Lady-." He paused as if trying to remember something. "Forgive me but I don't know your name fair lady." She giggled again and squeaked,

"Sarah, my name is Sarah." Joseph bowed again with exaggerated elegance.

"Farewell Lady Sarah." He then stepped away from the tiger's cage and meandered off towards the tents.

After he could no longer feel the Carpathian's presences, Gale lifted the barrier that had been shielding them. He ran to Sarah as she slipped out of the tiger's cage and hugged her tightly.

"Why didn't you let me capture him?" Sarah shrugged

"I don't think he will hurt us. I think he likes Cole." Gale snorted.

"You heard him, Cole kicked his butt. I don't think he likes Cole I think he wants to get even." Sarah shuck her head in denial.

"Nope, he's good." Gale rolled his eyes. There was no convincing Sarah once she started getting stubborn. She picked that up from her older sister. He scooped up Sarah and hoisted her onto his shoulders.

"Either way the show is about to start and Cole will be upset if you aren't where she can see you."

"You won't tell her about the boy will you?"

"I have to tell her he's around, but maybe it's not wise to say he was talking to you. She's already on the war path, we don't need her riled up anymore."

"You mean the song?" Gale stopped and looked up at his sister.

"You heard it too?" Sarah nodded.

"But it wasn't just grandma, there were lots of voices. They were all very nice and grandma said we could trust them."

"It could have been a trick Sarah." Gale tried to explain gently. Sarah started kicking his ribs and tugging on his hair.

"It wasn't! Why won't you listen to me?"

"Alright, alright I believe you. Mercy ferocious princess." He teased. Sarah stopped squirming and kicking.

"Is Cole going to be able to perform tonight?" Gale nodded and started off towards the main tent. It was a huge canvas tent. Red and white stripes wound around the fabric. The bleachers had been set up early this morning, and huge heaters had been placed by the entrances. Together the two of them slipped backstage and waited.

A woman with blond hair dressed in ring leaders stereotypical suit walked up to them. She waved them closer.

"Is something wrong with Old Ben? I saw you in there with him." Sarah shuck her head no. Old Ben was the snow tiger that had been with the circus since before they had even joined up.

"Old Ben is fine, Anna." Sarah adored Anna, who was not only the ringleader but the owner of the circus. This place was her family and home. So when she had found a seventeen year old girl standing over her beast tamer's broken body, her first instinct had been to protect him. Then she had seen the bloodied whip near his hand and her beloved tiger Ben curled up hiding in the corner. She had never suspected that her father's best friend had been beating the animal. He had been fired on the spot and she then adopted the girl and her orphaned siblings without question. Each one of them were like her own children. She was also one of the few people you knew Cole was a girl. Most people just thought Cole and Gale had been twin brothers. Anna had never once asked about the family's strange abilities, just protected them anyway she could.

"Good, will he be okay to perform, I don't want to push him if he's hurt or upset." Sarah nodded. Someone called for Anna saying the show was about to start. "Alright I have to go." Then she bustled off to the front of the stage.


	8. Chapter 8

Joseph found a seat near the top the bleachers where he could hide in the shadows and watch. People began filing in and taking seats. The lights suddenly went down and a slight figure took center stage. So it begins thought Joseph. The spot light fell on the woman and Joseph got the impression of a blond Zatanna from the Justice League. She was in a tight fit suit and pants that made her curves more pronounced.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our opening act." Trapeze swung out behind her One had a man the other a woman. "The Marques!" Joseph only half as the couple swung back and forth. Each pass was they did a different trick or flip. Each trick received a roar from the crowd below. Joseph snorted and made his way down the bleachers to the backstage. He kept the shadows wrapped tightly around him. A voice called out,

"Cole! You and Jason are on next. Make sure you have all the weapons you needs for your improb show." Then he saw her. She was still wrapped up in the illusion it made him laugh. She swirled around sending her braid flying into her brother's face as he approached. "What is it Cole?" She looked around, but she didn't see him.

"I thought I heard something." The boy looked around, but also saw nothing.

"I guess this is a bad time to tell you I saw a Carpathian snooping around Old Ben's cage?" Her eyes snapped to his.

"What? What did he look like?"

"Pale, odd hair." Joseph almost fell over laughing when he saw her visibly pale and groan.

"Don't tell me, spiked up, black, and blue tips?" Gale nodded clearly amused at his sister's expense.

"Met him already." She growled in response. "Care to elaborate in our language and not Ben's?" this time Joseph did fall over laughing. The man he bumped into was carrying a few weapons and actually dropped a few. He swung around to demand what was his problem but Joseph slipped into his mind and planted a memory of him tripping. The man swore again. Then Joseph had a better idea. He planted the idea that the man felt ill. He needed to lie down and rest. Someone would fill in for him, he just needed to leave his weapons and outfit. The man complied drowsily. He handed off the swords and knives he was carrying then handed an elegant cloak, ornate mask, riding pants, tall leather boots, several different belts, a satchel that carried a pretty metal worked crown with a few crystals in it, and a cotton blouse. Joseph slipped easily into them. Quickly he strapped the various weapons into place. A voice yelled,

"Cole, Jason, you're on." Joseph watch as Cole walked to the other stage entrance. She was dressed similarly to what she had been wearing when they had crossed paths in the woods. A long fur lined cloak replaced the coat, but the dark baggy pants and boots remained. No doubt she had a slew of weapons hidden under her clothes. He chuckled; this will be fun because at least now he had a much more even playing field. Since figured she wouldn't want to expose her and her family.

"I present the swordsman Sir Cole!" Cole ran out on stage her cloak flowing around her. She ran up to the ringleader and dropped to one knee.

"You called my lady?"

"There is another swordsman who has been terrorizing our people. Will you stop him?" Cole rose.

"It would be my honor." Then Cole turned to the crowd and asked, "Will a fair maiden give me a token of luck?" Joseph snorted as all the girls in the crowd went wild. Several girls up front were waving ribbons that they had bought. Cole seemed to pick a small girl who was about as old as her sister Sarah. Her skin was dark and tight brown curls seemed to fly in all directions. Cole bowed to the girl and said, "Thy lady honors me with her token." The girl beamed as she handed off her bright red ribbon to Cole. Joseph had seen this in the man's mind. People bought the ribbons and it acted like a raffle only Cole picked who would win. Then she would defeat the evil swordsman and retrieve the crown that he had. The winning girl would then get to choose something from a single shop and trade the crown in for that. The girl would also be queen for a day.

When Cole stepped back on stage she then walked toward the ringleader and Joseph knew this was his cue. He blurred to the center of the stage but stayed in the shadows and crept up on Cole. The little girl who had offered up her ribbon was shouting and pointing with most of the people in front. It was only when Joseph drew his sword deliberately making the shing sound of his sword echo around the room. Cole rolled aside and drew her scimitar in the same easy movement.

Joseph almost laughed when he saw her eyes widen under her mask. She quickly glanced around as if she might run. No he thought, she was wondering how she would protect everyone here. Joseph advanced on her and said loudly.

"So you are my challenger? You will fall like all the others before you." The crowd booed him, and Cole looked surprised. He didn't give her another moment to wonder at what he was doing, he lunged at her. She swung her sword in a sweeping motion in front of her. Their swords clashed together. Joseph's sword arm went flying back and he nearly stumbled. The amount of force behind her strike wasn't possible for a Jaguar. Unless she was using her psychic gift to put more force behind it. Joseph let the weapon fly from his hand. The crowd cheered.

Joseph drew a dagger just in time to see throwing knives arching toward him. He blocked each in quick succession. Then he circled closer to Cole who held her sword up in a guard position. He drew dual weapons that were strapped to his hip twirling them in his hand experimentally. He grinned at her then launched his attack again. Twisting and turning both opponents struck at each other in a lethal dance. Swords clashed and rang out. Both Joseph and Cole lashed out with feet or fist when the chance appeared. Joseph glanced out at the crowd. They had stopped cheering and were sitting on the edge of their seats. The dance had hypnotized them with its beauty and speed. Even the people who worked at the circus were staring. Joseph decided now was the time to make a tragic mistake. He tripped and landed on his butt, his weapon went skittering out of reach. Cole brought her weapon down to his throat.

"Do you yield?" Joseph pretended to glare at her then grudgingly said,

"I yield." The crowd was silent for only a moment the everyone stood up and roared their approval. Cole winced at the sound, but quickly took the satchel from Joseph's belt and the sword that had fallen out of his reach. The ringleader came back on stage looking absolutely star struck. The crowd quickly settled back into their seats, and Cole helped Joseph up and both went to stand by the ringleader.

"I present my opponents weapon." The ringleader took the sword and inclined her head to Cole. Then Cole pulled the crown from the satchel and walked up to the young girl who had given her the ribbon. She then laid the crown on the girl's head. "I present the crown to the lady whose token blessed me, and crown her queen. May your rule be just." The crowd erupted into applause. Cole got back on stage and Cole and Joseph bowed and walked off stage.


	9. Chapter 9

When they were nearing the mountain, Batman's voice came on the speaker,

"Bioship, report." Robin responded first.

"We may have a lead to the on the assassin case. We have a guest with us." No further response came. The bioship landed in hanger and the passengers disembarked. Batman stood there with Black Canary their gaze assessing Alexandra as she descended. The young girl stood up straighter meet Black Canary's gaze with curiosity and Batman's with almost the same hostility as she had met Robin. Though she didn't attack him straight out. She stuck out her chin and said,

"You remember me." It was a statement and she was daring him to lie.

"Yes." Alexandra sniffed disdainfully.

"Her life for his." She nodded back at Robin. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take his life for payment." Black Canary stepped toward Alexandra but she paid no mind to her.

"She might not be dead." The words didn't seem to sink into her mind. She blinked and stared at him blankly.

"What?"

"Your sister may still be alive." Alexandra blinked back tears and shuck her head venomenatly.

"No! I saw it! I can't do this again." She held her head like it was hurting her.

"Stop!" snapped Megan coming up behind Alexandra. "Can't you see she's hurt?" She pulled the younger closer to her to shield her from everyone. "Let me look in her mind and see what I can do, and then when that's done if she is up to it you can talk to her." Robin felt the urge to say go Miss M. He had never seen her stand up to anyone like that. Glancing at Wally and Black Canary revealed they were just as surprised by the young Martian's sudden steel. Batman continued to stare at the two girls, but nodded and stepped aside to let the girls past. When it was just Batman and Robin, he asked

"Is what she said true? Did her sister die for me?" Batman pulled out the folder he had withheld earlier.

"A couple years ago a young girl came to me and told me that she and her sister had glanced at possible futures. In one the whole world ended, in another you died, in the last which she said was the slightest possible chance of happening she was able to save you and by extension save the world. She made me swear to keep this from you and told me that if you didn't put the pieces together yourself there could be permanent damage done to you and the world would be doomed. The last thing she asked me was to erase her existence on paper and computer. The rest would be taken care of." Robin flipped open her file. It was filled with pictures, her birth certificate, social security card, her report cards, graduation certificate from middle school. Jessie, was her name. Robin stared at the information but no memories revealed themselves.

The last thing in the file was a few written papers and a painting. The painting looked like a comic. It had seven frames, each containing a picture. He saw a girl with silvery blond hair kneeling over what looked like a charred body. The next picture was a close up on her hands which were laid across the chest of the body. A purple light streaming from her palms. The third frame should the damage on the body moving up the girl's hands. The fourth square held a picture of the girl completely burned and Robin's body lying motionless. The next frame showed a black rift and the girl pulling a ghost from it. Then in the sixth frame showed the girl collapsed on top of Robin and his eyes open. Finally the last frame showed the girl's charred body being zipped up in a body bag.

Robin's hands shuck.

"So she is dead?"

"Part of her died. We believe the people who took her body were able to return her to her core self." Robin looked up at his mentor and asked,

"You knew all of this all along and you never said?" Batman nodded

"She made it clear that your life and the world's safety depended on my silence."

"What about her life!" Robin exploded. "Was she somehow less important than me?"

"She explained it like this, She needed to be in the camp of the enemy to prevent something terrible from happening in the future. If you weren't alive then certain things wouldn't happen that needed to. She is the reason you were originally selected to lead this team. Her and her sister both have prophetic personalities and they foretold you leading a team of young hero's that would save Earth."

"When were you sure she was still alive?"

"After I looked over the tapes from the second attack." Robin blinked and opened his mouth then shut it again.

"What do you mean after the second attack?" Batman waved for Robin to follow him as he turned and walked off toward the central room. Robin followed with Black Canary walking slowly behind him. The three of them stood round the main computer as Batman brought up the footage. Fast forwarding, Batman played the video when the assassin had appeared. Together they watched the fight. Robin watched carefully but even when the assassin was caught Robin couldn't see what Batman's proof.

"Did you see it?" Both Robin and Black Canary shuck their heads no. Batman paused it then rewound the footage and paused it as the wolf was attacking Robin. Then he pointed at Robin. On closer inspection revealed that it wasn't Robin under the wolf. A dark brown haired man was wrestling the jaws away. Scars covered the man's face and hands. Robin blinked,

"How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure, but either she gave you strength or you tapped into her abilities. Either way it proves she is still alive."

_Robin, I going to begin._

_I'll be there in a minute Miss M. _He felt Megan leave his mind. He turned to Batman.

"I have to go." He didn't wait for an answer, just quickly walked out of the room. Robin could feel Batman and Black Canary's stare boring into his back until he was out of sight.


	10. Chapter 10

Joseph's mouth was dry and a bang as the front door shut drew their attention. Sarah had come in. She ignored the look Joseph was giving her. She grabbed a jar from the counter.

"I'm going to need help purging these things, but I'll catch one so you can take it back to be studied. No doubt your people have scientist." Joseph nodded thinking of Gregori, Shea, and Gary. If this was another mutant parasite then they would need to study it. They got to work. Joseph shed his body again and went inside Cole's body. He began herding all the parasites towards Sarah's healing light. They were purge instantly but many slipped deeper into Cole's flesh. Each one burrowing holes into flesh and bone. Both Joseph and Sarah were exhausted by the end of the healing session. There were still many parasites left.

Gale supported Joseph as he swayed with weariness. Then he held out his wrist.

"Take what you need, it is the least I can do for you for what you are doing for my sister." Joseph hesitated. He knew Cole would be upset, but it was her brother's right to offer. Joseph nodded his thanks and distanced the other boy's mind from the act. He took only what he needed before turning to Sarah.

"We need to take her to another healer. There's too much damage for you and me alone to heal." Sarah bit her lip and glanced at Cole's pale face. Cole would not be happy to find another Carpathian hovering over her, but better that than her dead. Sarah nodded.

"We will all go." Gale said, Sarah nodded her agreement. Gale went in the back room to tell Maria only to find her with her ear pressed up against the door. She smiled up at her brother sheepishly. "Come on, get your warm clothes on." Maria nodded obediently. She quickly changed in warm pants and a cashmere sweater. Then a warm coat and snow boots completed the look. Sarah pulled her coat on and snow shoes. Gale grabbed a coat and went to carry Cole but Joseph stopped him.

"We don't want you to get infected." Joseph carefully set aside Cole's mask and wrapped her up in the cloak. When the group stepped out into the cold air Joseph reached for Skyler's mind,

_Sky?_

_Joseph! Are you okay?_

_I'm fine, but Cole needs your help._

_Who is Cole?_

_The boy you treated. There were parasites in his body you missed. _He felt Skyler gasp in shock.

_That's not possible._

_Obviously it is because she's being eaten alive by them!_

_She?_

_Yes, Cole is a girl. Her sister had an illusion over her. That's not important. You need to call your aunts and Gregori. I can't get rid of them and they are doing more damage than usual. Where should we bring them?_

_The birthing chamber._

_Why there?_

_Because the soil is clean._

_Skyler she's more Jaguar than Carpathian._

_Yes but she has some, which makes me think it will help._ Joseph lead the small band through the woods to their destination. They quickly made their way down into the tunnels to finds candles already burning. The affect was one of peace and tranquility.

There were three women and three men. Joseph knew all of them. The two sisters were Tatijana and Branislava Dragonseeker. Beside them stood their lifemates, Fenris Tirunul or Fenris Dalka and Zev Hunter. Out of the corner of his eye, Joseph saw Gale stiffen. His nostrils flared like he was trying to draw in the scent of a strange new predator. Joseph supposed they would be new to a Carpathian Lycan hybrid. Next to them stood his best friend Skyler and her lifemate Dimitri. Joseph nodded and laid Cole down in front of them, but didn't back away from her.

The woman knelt down around him and their lifemates all seemed to stir. At that moment Cole's weapons came alive and zipped towards the men. The weapons bounced off a blue barrier.

"Cole, it is alright, they are here to help." Gale said loud enough for everyone to hear. At first nothing seemed to happen then the weapons clattered to the floor and a gasp of pain escaped Cole's lips.

"Where's Gregori?" Joseph asked.

"Right here." Everyone whirled around to see Gregori stride into the chamber with Mikhail walking behind him. He bowed his head to Gale and Maria. Then he smiled at Sarah.

"It's good to see you again Sarah-." He stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of Cole still before him. Then he chuckled and gave Gregori a pointed look. "Looks like you were duped thrice my friend." Gregori growled then surveyed the women around him.

"If there are parasites the woman should not be working." Skyler and Sarah snorted at the same time.

"I will not stand aside when my sisters needs my help. Even if I am not strong enough I need to see what you do so I can then do it if ever needed. She then took the jar that held blood and parasites and gave it to Gregori. "You might want to study the creatures." Gregori careful took the jar from Sarah's hands and inspected the contents. Then he set it aside and began to work on Cole.

Gregori gasped when he stumbled upon Cole's old injuries and the shock of someone other than Carpathian surviving such wounds shocked him.

_Mikhail, this child has been tortured or at the least mauled. _He shared with Mikhail the scars and how they had been healed.

_A vampire's handy work._ was Mikhail's bleak reply.

_Mikhail, this child should be dead. She may have some of our genes and Jaguar, but even our kind would struggle to survive this. At the very least she should have bled out if not gone insane from the trauma. _

_Her sister must be a miracle worker._

_The sister is only eight years old, these wounds are about four years old. She would have been four if that's the case. _Mikhail shrugged

_Stranger things have happened, my friend._ The healing dragged out for hours. The parasites seemed to have far more intelligence than they should. Several spread out into various ends of the body chewing and ripping away at flesh trying to do as much damage as possible. While others would find dark places to hide reproduce. In the end it took everyone who was able to heal Cole's torn body and completely purge it of parasites. Gregori sighed in exhaustion when they all finally returned to their bodies.

"She will need blood or everything we have done will be in vain." Mikhail was about to offer, but Joseph stopped him.

"I will do it." Gregori watched as Joseph cradled Cole's body to his own. He opened the vein near his heart. To Mikhail asked

_You don't think-?_

_She's his lifemate._ Mikhail chuckled darkly _I hope so. That woman will drive him nuts and the rest of us will finally have some peace. She will make it?_

_Of that I don't doubt. Her will is strong._

"Drink Cole, if not for yourself then for your family who still needs you." At first nothing happened then Cole's lips slowly parted accepting the life giving offering. Once Joseph was sure she had enough to replace what she had lost he stopped her and closed the wound. Then he commanded her to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

When Cole woke she knew instantly she was not alone. Her eyes snapped open and she looked to her right to find the strange guy she had knocked out earlier reclined in a chair next to her bed. A quick glance around the room revealed she had no clue where she was. She reached out for her sisters, but there was no response. Panic started choking her until the man laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Deep slow breaths. Your family is fine. Sarah and Maria are sleep in the room next door and your brother probably just fell asleep on the couch in the living room." Cole glared at him.

"Where are we?" He smiled when her eyes widened at the sound of her own voice. He reached over to a small bedside table and picked up the voice modulator that had been jammed up against the roof of her mouth.

"My home." He stared at her face as she studied the room. The floor was dark hard woods, the walls were natural earthy tones, and the furniture was tasteful. She wanted to find something to hate about the room, but she couldn't. Joseph chuckled, "What do you think?" Cole looked him in the eyes and instantly regretted it. There was warmth in his eyes along with amusement that gave him a boyish look that melted her heart. Joseph glanced around the room. "It's strange, normally I like very modern type things, but when I bought this place it was like my tastes swung in a whole new direction, and I hafta say, I love it." Cole caught sight of a painting hanging beside her bed and snorted. It looked like it had been a painting an Italian palazzo. Sprawling gardens, huge stone work, and gargoyles completed the affect. Then someone had splashed red paint over the painting.

"You didn't pay money for it did you?" She asked nodding at the painting. Joseph laughed.

"I paid for the paint and canvas." Cole knew her shock showed through.

"You defiled that painting?" Josef snorted

"I painted the Scarletti palazzo, but I wanted to add a flare to it." He grinned mischievously at her horrified look. Cole swiftly grabbed the pillow from behind her and started beating the grinning boy in front of her.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded as the pillow collided with his face for the third or fourth time. He just sat there laughing at her, which only increased her temper. "You destroyed a beautiful painting!" She smacked the pillow across his chest "To give it a flare?" He swiped the pillow from her grasp and sat on before answering.

"Yes. I see nothing wrong with artistic genius. Besides I have a slight obsession with blood." He waved his hand and a stone goblet appeared filled with a crimson liquid. Cole snorted she could smell the food coloring he had used to dye the water red. She smirked, then flicked two fingers when Joseph went to drink. The pillow bucked up underneath him causing him to spill the red water all down his shirt. Joseph jumped up and narrowed his eyes at Cole.

"That wasn't very nice." Cole chuckled darkly

"I'm not a nice person." Joseph seemed to think about this comment for a moment before replying,

"Sarah disagrees." Cole felt all her senses still at the mention of Sarah's name. Her instincts rose and she bared her teeth at Joseph.

"Leave my sister alone." Joseph held his hands up in age old gesture of submission and surrender.

"I will not hurt your family. Nor will I allow any more harm to come to them or you as long as I live." Cole noticed he glanced down at where her scar was when he said this. So he knew. She suddenly wanted to wrap the blankets around her and hide under them. Joseph stood up and went to go to the door. "Do you want me to wake up your sisters?" Cole shuck her head no. They needed their rest. She could be strong for them, just like she always was. Joseph seemed to read her thoughts, "You rely on others you know." Cole looked him in eyes and looked for something, but she wasn't certain what. After long moments of silence Joseph nodded his head at the door. "Come on, you need to eat. Your brother said you have eaten in two days." Suddenly her stomach grumbled, but the thought of eating anything made her feel sick.

"I think I'll pass on food."

"No, see there is no choice in you eating something. Your choice is either you walk on your own two legs and eat or I carry you out and hold you while your brother force feeds you." Cole narrowed her eyes at him.

"What makes you think you can make me?"

"The fact that you're still recovering and therefore weakened enough that I can make you. Plus your whole family will back my side if I ask." Cole growled him but then groaned in defeat.

"Fine, but if I puke, know it's ending up on you." Joseph laughed and bowed his head.

"As the lady wishes." Cole threw back the sheets and almost yelped in surprise.

"What am I wearing?" Joseph's gaze skimmed down her body making her skin tingle. He took in the black silk boxer and lose cotton t-shirt.

"A t-shirt and boxers, if I'm not mistaken." Cole glared at him. The amusement was lighting up his eyes again making her heart do odd things. He knew exactly what.

"They aren't mine." She hissed. He smiled at her as if what she said was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Nope, they're mine." Outrage, shock, horror, all crossed her face and yet she couldn't find the words to express how wrong this was. She should not be wearing another person's underwear that was just wrong. A little voice in the back of her mind whispered, and intimate thing. Cole batted that thought away and suppressed it ruthlessly. Then another very important question popped into her mind. Who had dressed her? Fear started clawing at her mind. She could not have a man especially a Carpathian man touch her. Not when she had been vulnerable and helpless. Joseph had eased into her mind and could see the road she was heading down. If she didn't calm down she would have a panic attack. So he showed her. Long sweat pants suddenly covered her legs. Cole actually did yelp this time and she started shaking. "I did not undress you Cole. You need to take a deep breath and steady your heart beat. This isn't healthy for you to work yourself into a panic attack." Cole swallowed hard ad took a deep breath, then another, and again. Finally she seemed to have regained a normal heart beat.

"Don't ever do that again without warning me first."


	12. Chapter 12

Joseph chuckled

"Dually noted. Now come eat." Cole rose warily and followed him out of the room. The rest of the house stole her breath away. Priceless looking paintings adorned the walls, comfortable furniture was placed throughout the home. She snorted when they came to the living room. Gale was fast asleep on a comfy looking couch. He was half buried under a thick comforter. Cole bent down to check he was alright. She sighed in relief when she found nothing wrong with him. Then she glanced up and saw the TV that was bigger than her was set up with every gaming system she could think of. The walls on either side of the TV were covered in movies, games, and other assortment of electronics.

"Do you even know what games you have?" Joseph nodded

"Yep, played most of them with Joshua and Skyler." Cole blinked and something in her stirred at the girl's name. It had Cole frozen in place. She held her breath for a long moment and waited for it to settle. The predator and protector in her went back to sleep. It was the first time the Jaguar had stirred since that day. Joseph had felt the strange stirring in Cole and had stopped beside her. It wasn't the first time he had dealt with a Jaguar and he still had the scars to prove it.

He lead the way into the kitchen when it was clear the Jaguar in Cole had settled. He laughed to himself when he heard her small gasp. He slipped easily into her mind.

_This isn't possible. _Then in her mind he saw the same kitchen only there was a blonde woman standing in it smiling at him. The woman was quite clearly Carpathian, but as far as Joseph knew the only blonde Carpathians that hadn't been changed were the Savage twins.

"Do you like it? I had a dream one time and in it I met this girl and this is where we were." He watched as she just blinked up at the familiar room. He could see she inspected every detail and it was all the same as her grandmother's home.

"Four years ago, when I was healing I spent time here. Or at least this was where my dream took me. There was a boy sitting up on the counter. I don't remember much of it, but he helped me choose to stay." Cole let the memory fade and studied Joseph's face. He was a little older than the boy in the dream, his hair was different, but it was him. This was the boy Joseph, from her dream. Panic started welling up again.

Joseph pulled her into a hug and crushed her to his chest.

"Breath." Cole drew a shaky breath and shoved him away putting her psychic gift behind it. But he didn't budge. "Breath Cole."

"Let go of me."

"Not until you calm down." Cole took a deep breath. When her heart rate returned to normal Joseph let go of her and walked to the large fridge. "Take a seat, I'll cook."

"You can cook?" Joseph turned back to her and smiled

"I am a man of many talents." Cole snorted as he pulled a bottle of fruit juice from the fridge. It was thick and a deep green color.

"I am not drinking that." Joseph pulled a glass from one of the cabinets and shrugged.

"You can drink it or I can call your brother in here." Cole grumbled then reached for the glass. She took a sip and her stomach instantly rebelled. She took deep breaths through her nose and clamped her mouth shut. When she looked back at the cup to take another sip it was empty.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Joseph chuckled

"No, but with the look on your face it might as well be."

"So I didn't have to drink it?"

"You did drink it. All of it." Cole put her head down on the table. She didn't want to see the honesty in his eyes or the male amusement she could clearly here. Energy thrummed through the air Cole lifted her head to try and listen. She had felt her grandmother and her mother communicate through this means but she had never been able to completely tune in to it. Whoever was talking was talking to Joseph.

"Are you up to company?" Cole sighed, she might as well.

"Sure, it's your home anyway." Joseph looked like he was going to say something, but thought better of. He glided from the room with the same grace as her grandmother.

"Mikhail, Gregori, welcome." She heard footsteps as Joseph lead the two men back into the kitchen. Cole studied them as they strode into the kitchen. Mikhail was clearly the leader, power clung to him like all born leaders. Then her gaze fell on the silver eyed man behind him. Violence and power clung to him like a cloak. But there was also a something about this man that reminded her of Sarah. Mikhail inclined his head to Cole.

"We finally meet for real." Cole just stared at him as he glided down to the seat in front of her. Gregori stayed right behind him in his shadow. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Mikhail sighed.

"Well for starters about where you and your family will be staying."

"Where we always have." Cole snapped. Gregori shifted defensively behind Mikhail who just waved him off.

"I might have agreed with you if it had not been for the parasites in your blood." Cole paled. "They specially target people with psychic gifts. They don't affect Carpathian, and the reason you lasted so long is because you have some Carpathian genes. If you or heaven forbid one of your siblings gets infected again and there aren't several healers around you could die next time." Joseph stepped up behind Cole when he noticed a slight shake to her hands. He sent warmth through her mind to help calm her. She swallowed hard.

"My family wants nothing to do with your kind." Gregori snorted

"That is your pride talking. You should put your family before-." Cole stood up and snarled at him.

"That is exactly what I am doing! Your kind refused to protect my grandmother when your own prince threatened her life. You people turned a blind eye to what he was and what he was doing! Then when she called you for help with her dying breath to save her grandchildren you abandoned her. It was your prince who made us orphans and me-." She stopped tears were threatening to choke her. She started again calmly "My family is all that I think of. It is not a matter of pride like you think, it is a matter of your kind has done nothing to earn that kind of trust."

"We healed you."

"I'm a woman and your race is dying because it has so few women, don't you dare tell me saving my life was anything selfless. You need me and my sisters." Gregori eyes glittered dangerously, but she didn't care. She had heard what he had said about little Sarah.

"So you were listening in." Cole nodded stiffly

"And you were right I would sooner butcher one of your warriors than let my sister become a breeder for your kind." Gregori glared at her.

"So you would condemn a man?"

"To protect my family? I would condemn your whole damn race. Especially since you all already abandoned us to vampires." Gregori growled and stepped forward, Joseph was instantly between them barring his teeth at Gregori. Mikhail had a hand on Gregori's arm.

"Gregori." The warning was softly spoken, but Cole felt the power and authority behind it. Mikhail turned back to Cole. "Tell me about your grandmother. What did you mean when you said we didn't protect her?" Cole settled back into her seat.

"The eldest son of Vlad. She said everyone knew there was something not right with him. She had no idea just how wrong there was with him until she came across him attempting to rape a human. She was able to lure other hunters near and he left the woman in the snow. My grandmother cared for the woman and made her take her family and leave. The prince found out he threatened her. She tried to take it to Vlad's attention, but he refused to see her. So she faked her death and left the area."

"What is your grandmother's last name?"

"Her last name is ours. Both my grandfather and my father took my grandmother and mother's maiden name. Savage." Mikhail and Gregori exchanged surprised look.

"So your hair color is from your grandmother?" Cole nodded. Her mother also had the same golden hair. "Do you know she had two younger brothers?" Cole shrugged.

"She had a painting of her and two men. I guessed they were her brothers." Mikhail nodded.

"To answer why we did not answer her call, when a dead Carpathian calls over the common link it has always been a trap. I do remember your grandmother's call and when we sent a warrior to investigate he found that there had been a car cash killing four humans. The warrior found no reason to suspect a Carpathian or children had been there. For all intents purposes it looked like a warrior killed a vampire." Cole nodded.

"My brother set it up to look like a car crash."


	13. Chapter 13

Everyone in the group exchanged glances. A girl dressed in a classic magician's outfit stepped up and held out her hand.

"I'm Zatanna, it's nice to meet you." Alexandra shuck her hand and nodded.

"Alexandra, and like wise."

"I was wondering if you could show me your power?" Alexandra shrugged, it was only a guess, but she was sure the question had an alternative motive behind it.

"I can, but it's not like I can prove what I said, without becoming you. And I don't think you want me to know all your deepest darkest secrets." Zatanna rubbed her arm.

"It's alright, show me." Alexandra raised her eyebrows slightly. This one must be desperate, she thought to herself. Alexandra nodded and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil of the desk. She began sketching slowly. First Zatanna's head and face. Then came other small details, ears, hair, and other marks. Once her face was done slowly her body came to life, until there was a life like sketch of Zatanna on the page. Alexandra turned the paper to show the other girl and the other watchers her work. She got the usual compliments and applause before she laid the page down on the table again. Alexandra touched the page. For a long moment nothing happened to her. Then it was almost like a bottle of ink had been dumped into her hair. Black started at the top of her head and slowly worked down. Her hair also visibly grew an inch. Skin and flesh seemed to become like soft clay which reformed into Zatanna's face and figure. Lastly her clothes seemed to be tugged this way and that until suddenly they were Zatanna's.

Everyone in the room stared at Alexandra blandly. That was new to her, the few people she had shown this had been shocked. Alexandra as Zatanna stood up and twirled around asking,

"How do I look?" It was Zatanna's voice. Robin's eyes were slightly wider. He was the only who had noticed that Alexandra had not been kidding when she said she could become the person she took the form of. Alexandra put an arm around Zatanna and lead her away from the group.

"What you want, I can't give you. Your father is being held be a lord of order. I am powerful, but I can't become someone I haven't seen for myself." Zatanna looked down at the floor and scuffed her shoe.

"Oh, okay." Alexandra could feel the other girl's pain very vividly and it was clawing at her. She shuck off Zatanna's form and wrapped her arm around the older girl's shoulder. Zatanna sniffed and tried to hold back the tears that she swore she wouldn't shed. It was too much. She choked out, "He's all I have left. My.-" Alexandra pulled the other girl into a hug.

"I know. I know." Zatanna stood there for a long time, her whole body wracked with silent sobs. Alexandra just held her until her sobs settled. Zatanna wiped her eyes and then stepped back from Alexandra.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-." Alexandra held a hand up to silence the apology she knew was coming.

"Don't be sorry for you cannot change, or for needing help. I'm certainly in no position to judge since I came close to strangling Robin and electrocuting Kid Flash out of grief. But to your dilemma, have you tried just asking Dr. Fate."

"He won't give my father." Alexandra shuck her head.

"No, I didn't expect him to. I meant have you asked him to let you see your father. He has the ability to not take you into the helmet, but bring you on the same plain that your father is on."

"I didn't even consider it."

"I noticed that, you went straight for trying to remove the helmet when he was out cold." Zatanna had the grace to look a little ashamed of herself. "Dr. Fate is not evil Zatanna. He spent many years trapped in the helmet, and there was no way to guarantee he'd ever be let out again. If you had been in his shoes would you have done anything different?" Zatanna looked away from the younger girl. She had no idea what she would have done in Fate's shoes. She would like to say she would have found a different way, but she couldn't be sure. "There was one other thing you wanted to ask me." Zatanna looked back at Alexandra. Had there been something else? Then she blushed when she remembered.

"Your sister and Robin, what," she started again, "Were they-." Alexandra sighed and held up a hand to stop her. She called out with her mind, _Megan, can you come help me._

_Sure, be right there._ A moment later the other girl floated towards them.

"What do you need?"

"The memory room. I need to show Zatanna something." Megan nodded and pulled both girls into her mind.

"Go ahead." Alexandra turned toward the wall and brought up a memory. Jessie and her were arguing,

"Regardless of what you or Richard think. I am not that selfless." Jessie put a hand under her sister's chin and raised it so she was looking squarely into her eyes. "We will see each other again. I swear on my powers and my very soul. This will not be permanent."

"But he loves you! I love you! I don't want you to die." Jessie sighed,

"I don't want to die either, but I also don't want the world to die, or you. As for Richard loving me, if he wants to be mad at me after this I won't hold it against him. If he finds someone he loves, I dull the feelings he had for me so that he and who ever that lucky girl is has a shot at love. As for you, you know it will not be permanent and I will shield you from this." Alexandra sniffed.

"I know, I know you'll come back, but I don't want you to have to suffer." Jessie wrapped her arm around her sister and just held her.

"It will turn out okay in the end." Her sister promised simply. The memory faded and Alexandra nodded her thanks as they returned to their own minds. Megan quickly left in search of Connor. When she was out of earshot Alexandra told Zatanna,

"Yes my sister loved, possibly loves Robin. But I think she suspected he would find you. So maybe you should talk to Robin about this also, though leave out the part about her dulling his feelings. I don't think he will like that." Zatanna snorted.

"Probably not."


	14. Chapter 14

Cole ran her finger over the faces of her mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather lovingly. Joseph nodded at the rolled up piece of canvas.

"What's that?" Cole carefully unrolled the painting. There were three people in the portrait. A woman with blond hair was in the back drop smiling down at two identical boys. Joseph studied the boys. He recognized the more mischievous one as Julian Savage, while the boy next to him seemed a little bit tamer than his twin.

"My grandmother painted it. She said it was so she would never forget what she lost for what she had with us. I asked her if she regretted leaving. Her was response was she never regretted leaving, but she did regret not looking after her brothers. She always thought she had abandoned them to face the darkness alone."

"Then she will be happy to know they both their lifemates." Cole looked finally came out of the sea of memories she had been swimming in and looked fully at him.

"Tell me about them." Joseph grinned

"Aidan," he pointed to the tamer of the two twins. "Found his lifemate first. She is a video game designer." Cole snorted, that certainly explained all the games. "Her name is Alexandria. She has a little brother, who is still human. His name is Joshua. We are actually in the process of working through a couple of games together, along with Skyler." Joseph skimmed the surface of Cole's thoughts, he saw her mind go curiously blank when he mentioned Skyler's name. "Then Julian," he pointed to the other boy. "Found his lifemate among the band the, The Dark Troubadours. She is the lead singer and can do magic with her voice. I only saw it once, but she wove a net using just her voice. Her name is, Desari."

"So he's okay? Julian?" Joseph shrugged

"I believe so, why wouldn't he be?" Cole made a face as she thought about how to explain int. She pointed to Julian's face.

"My grandmother, worried for him. Many times I walked in she was just staring at the picture she would ask him," she pointed again to Julian. "What he had been keeping from her. Why he didn't trust her enough to let her help? When I asked her about it she just said, that he was somebody who was very dear to her, but who never seemed to trust her enough or didn't want her help."

"If you'd like I can introduce you to them. Well Julian and Desari, Aidan an Alexandria are back in the States. They arrived last night secretly-."

"How do you know they arrived, if they arrived secretly?" Joseph grinned impishly

"I may have hacked into Mikhail's email account among others." Cole blinked at him. She heard the words, but was not quite sure of her thoughts.

"You hacked into the Prince of the Carpathian's email account. Not only did you hack into his emails, but you also went through and read them." Joseph nodded, and noted that again her mind was curiously blank. Then he was startled when she actually fell over laughing. "I don't believe you." Joseph turned his face from her and tried to look undignified by her response.

"I can't believe you would accuse me of lying to my lifemate."

"You hack into your Prince's email account, chances are you aren't a very a stand-up guy, or have much in the way of honor." Joseph growled at the implication.

"I guess I just have to prove it then." He reached for a pair of show boots and the heavy fur cloak she had been wearing . Throwing the cloak around her shoulders and quickly slipping the boots on her feet, he then pulled her to her feet. "Since my honor is now in question." He caught her hand and gently tugged her forward. Cole smothered her laughter and allowed herself to be lead off into the snow. She grabbed her scimitar that was concealed under the front of the bus as they walked past it. "You won't need that." Cole fixed him with a look that said he'd have to pry her fingers off the weapon if he wanted her to leave it behind. Joseph threw up his hands in exasperation.

"If it makes you feel better I'm not bringing it along as a weapon."

"What else does one use a sword for?" Cole let the weapon hover in front of her for a moment, then when it was waist high she jumped on to the flat side of the blade, and sat on it. Her feet dangled just above the snow, and her cloak draped down behind her. Then she threw up the hood to cover her golden hair. "Okay that is awesome." And sexy, his words whispered through Cole's mind but she studiously ignored it as she followed Joseph deeper into the woods. His laughter brushed through her mind.

_I know you can hear my __guerriero__ gattin._

_Did you just call me warrior kitten?_

_I knew you, you knew I was in your mind._ Cole growled over the mental connection. _And yes I did, in Italian I might add._

_I noticed._

_You don't like it?_

_I like that you think I am a warrior, not sure how I feel about the kitten part._

_But you are a kitten._ The words were out before he could suppress the thought and the flash in Cole's eyes told him he was suddenly on very thin ice.

_Explain._ It was both a demand and a dare. Never had Joseph backed down from a challenge and he wasn't about to start now.

_You are a Jaguar and are still young. That would make you a kitten._ She nodded excepting this a valid answer. _And you remind me of this little kitten I saw in a pet shop. She came right up to the glass bristling and then I poke her and she fell over and had a fit with me._ She looked as if she had just choked on something. Cole started coughing and laughing. Her boots dropped off her feet and flew through the air. The swirled around Joseph for a moment then one kicked him in butt. Joseph yelped and swiped at the boot, but it dodged under his attack. The other boot then took its shoot at his now exposed rump and proceeded to kick him to.

"This isn't very nice." Joseph ducked behind a tree and was rewarded with Cole's laughter echoing around the forest. Joseph pretended to peek out. "Are you quite done?" Cole smiled innocently at him, it turned his heart over. He stepped out behind the tree and got a swift kick from both boots. He tipped over and sprawled out in the snow and scowled at her. The boots slid back onto her feet. She hovered close to him and held out her hand to help him up. Joseph smiled at her and reached for her hand. Then he yanked her off her sword and into the snow beside him. She yelped when the snow came in contact with any bare skin. Cole squirmed and wriggled.

"You horrible man!" Joseph's laugh cut off any further remark she was going to make. She stood up and brushed the snow off herself. Then she glared down at Joseph.

"You outrageous woman." He laid in the snow and just laughed at her. He was in her mind and he could see and feel the laughter that was there. Her dark eyes glittered with amusement. "So how come you don't just levitate yourself." Cole raised her eyebrows at him. "I noticed you only levitate your weapons, but you never try to move your own body."

"Because it is dangerous even deadly to do so." Joseph stood and dusted himself off.

"Explain."

"I tried it once and we discovered that if I try to pick up anything organic it can have very disastrous effects on the body I picked up. Especially the blood. It seems that when I picked up the person I managed to stop the flow of blood where I gripped them. There was also the potential to crush organs in humans." Joseph blinked, that certainly hadn't been what he was expecting. "Are we goanna go?" Joseph nodded and continued on into the forest until they came to a small cabin. Cole hovered behind him with her hood still draped over her face. Joseph knocked on the door and waited.


	15. Chapter 15

It was not a blond man or a beautiful singer who answered the door. It was Mikhail

"Ah, Joseph, Cole, I suppose you should be here for this." Mikhail stepped aside and let the two come in. Cole didn't fail to see the humor in Mikhail eyes. Did he know that Joseph had access to his emails, she wondered. He gestured for the two of them to sit in the living room area. There were two people there. A man sat in a reclining chair, the picture of health and wealth. It was the unblinking of his eyes that gave away his true nature. One of a predatory nature. There was also a very clear resemblance to her grandmother, not only in his golden hair, but in his facial structure as well. The woman who sat perched on the arm of the chair was no less than stunning. She had long beautiful hair and eyes that shined with warmth and acceptance.

"You said this was urgent Mikhail, about my family? Is Aidan alright?" Mikhail glided into the room and sat down in a couch. Cole slid off her sword and wrapped the sheath strap across her shoulders before sitting down beside Joseph. Both Julian and Desari had studied her when she had stepped into the room but her hood still hid most of her features.

"As far as I know, your brother is fine. I would think you would be one of the first to know if he was not okay." Julian nodded.

"Then how is this related to my family." Mikhail took a deep slow breath trying think of how to phrase his thoughts.

"You had an older sister too." Julian and looked to his lifemate. Greif clouded his eyes for a brief moment.

"Yes she died during one of the many wars when I and my brother were off fighting." Cole might have snorted at this, but the look in his eyes restrained her. There was deep rooted guilt and a river of sorrow in his eyes.

"No she didn't." Cole whispered, everyone's head swung her. Cole pushed her hood back and looked up at Julian. Shock spread across his face. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She was not his sister, he would feel her difference, but she was the spitting image of her. Desari reached for Julian's hand. He settled in his seat.

"You are the image of Anna."

"Yep, I actually look more like my mother, but there is a lot of resemblance to grandmother too." Cole pulled the picture out from under her cloak. She handed it over to Julian. Desari leaned over him to get a better look at the photograph. She gasped, no doubt seeing what Julian already had.

"How is she?" Julian asked Cole looked down at the floor. She couldn't face the hope that was suddenly in his eyes.

"She is no longer with us." Cole swallowed hard, "Neither is her daughter or her husband." Cole looked back up and there was pain in his eyes. A pain she was all too familiar with.

"What about her grandchildren."

"We are all safe and relatively intact." She couldn't help touching her scar.

"How, why did she leave?" This time Cole glanced at Mikhail who looked ashamed. Mikhail answered,

"You remember my older brother." Julian face became hard and he nodded,

"Gregori hunted him down." Mikhail nodded

"Not soon enough. Your sister came across one of his crimes. He was attacking a human woman and your sister brought warriors to scare him away. She then took the girl home and healed her. After which she left a command that woman was to leave with her family and never come back. When my brother found out he threatened her. So she tried to go to my father, but was unable to see him. So she fake her death and left."

"Then what happened to her afterwards?" He looked to Cole.

"She traveled the world for a long time. Until she ran into a man in the rainforest. Quite literally she ran into him. He was her lifemate and together they settled down in the mountains. After a few years together they had a daughter. Their life together was good and happy. Then their daughter was taken because a group of Jaguar's thought she was purebred Jaguar. My understanding was that they left a blood bath in their wake searching for her. Finally when they had all but given up a man who was also Jaguar appeared on their front step holding their daughter. This man was their daughter's lifemate. He had seen his people kidnap her and he refused to allow them to harm her. He gave up his people for her. Together these four created a life together."

"Soon after that the daughter was pregnant with twins. Myself and my twin brother Gale were born nine months later. The family's joy increased when years later they had two separate girls were also born. It was a little over four years after the youngest child was born was born that their happiness was shattered." Cole swallowed hard and Joseph laid a hand on her shoulder and sent her warmth and comfort.

"We were with our grandparents out in the garden getting lessons. Our parents were at their house. We felt our father's death first. It was a cord in us that just suddenly snapped. Mother followed shortly after. To her credit she took down the one who killed her husband. My grandparents told us to hide, they called for assistance from the Carpathian, but no help would come."

"They told my brother could shield us as they ran to the front of the house where the two remaining vampires waited. It went against everything she had taught us. Vampires didn't work together. Not like this. They were actively healing each other."

"They worked together, but so did my grandparents. But my grandparents were weak. They had both grown old and their abilities had suffered, the vampires had just fed. They got a hold of my grandfather and broke his neck. My grandmother was lost in her grief. She called the largest lightning storm I had ever seen. She killed one, but then the other cut off her head. It didn't matter though because she had already been dead. When she called the lightning she used our strength to do so and she left all of her knowledge and the ability to call up storms to us."

"I acted rashly and charged the remaining vampire. I paid very dearly for my foolishness, and my brother and sister had to see it. It took a while but I was able to be healed. We disposed of any evidence of vampires. My brother set my parents and grandparents bodies in our car and had it look like an accident. We had a friend who worked in the morgue, who knew what we were. She hid any evidence of our kind and confirmed the deaths had been accidental. Then we left." Cole looked Julian in the eyes. She could see the grief there, but there was also joy. That was something she had not been expecting. She reached under her cloak and pulled out the rolled up canvas with the painting her grandmother had done on it.

"I'm sure you have a lot of question, but before that I need to ask you something." Julian nodded.

"Anything." Cole handed him the painting and pointed to him in the painting.

"This is you correct?" Julian nodded his gaze never left the painting. "My grandmother's one regret in life was she abandoned you and your brother, but specifically you. She said she knew there was something wrong with you, but you never trusted her enough to say what was or let her help you." Julian looked up at her, blood red tears shined in his eyes. "So for her I ask are you alright and what happened?" Julian looked down at the painting and leaned into Desari who had remained silent throughout this entire exchange.

"I am alright, Anna can rest easy knowing that. But it wasn't that I didn't trust her, it was that I wanted to protect her. When I was twelve I was infected with vampire blood. The vampire had power over me then and I did not want harm to come to the two people who had been the only family I had ever known. So I kept my distance. Which I see now in hind sight was not the best thing." Cole nodded, she knew exactly what he meant. There was a sudden knock on the door and Julian looked at Mikhail amused. "So much for this being a secret meeting." Cole reached out mentally and groaned out load. She stood and walked quickly to the door to find Sarah, Maria, and Gale standing at the door.

"It's probably for the best they are here anyway." She lead her siblings into the room where Sarah gasped,

"You're the boy from Grandma's painting." She tilted her head to the side to study Julian for a long moment. "You don't look like a grandpa." Everyone laughed at this. Desari looked at her lifemate.

"No, you're right, he doesn't look like a grandpa, but I think we can help with that."

"Don't you dare." Julian started, but Desari had already gotten and knelt in front of Sarah. She then began to whisper conspiratorially with the younger girl who giggled. Gale watched his younger two sisters whisper with the beautiful singer.

"Don't bother trying to stop them." He told Julian. "It only eggs them on." Julian groaned,

"I know, but that one is deadly." He said pointing at his lifemate, but the smile on his face was one of mock horror. "She does not need my nieces included in her antics." Cole chuckled darkly and added,

"I don't know, I think they could use another female role model, one who doesn't come home sick and wounded all the time."


	16. Chapter 16

They stayed there for a long time. Desari and the younger girls laughed and chatted on plans for harassing Julian who growled and grumbled through it all. Cole, Gale, Julian, and Mikhail talked well into the night. When it was finally time to leave Mikhail bowed to Julian and Desari.

"May you always stand strong, friend." Julian and Mikhail clasped their arms together. Then the group stepped outside and Mikhail asked Cole. "Would you let me escort you all home?" Cole nodded reluctantly; Mikhail smiled and strode off into the woods. "So what do you think of your grandmother's brother."

"He is a lot like his picture, very boyish and mischievous." She glanced at the ground.

"Not what you expected?" He guessed, Cole shrugged

"Yes and no. I expected the man to be as he was, but I didn't expect," she paused searching for the right word. "The humanity I found."

"I'm not sure I follow." Cole sighed and thought about what to say.

"It is odd realizing a Carpathian loved her and misses her as much as I do." Mikhail nodded his understanding.

"I nearly lost Raven, my lifemate, and afterwards she miscarried and then nearly lost our son. Our kind feels emotion very deeply. It's why one lifemate doesn't survive with their soul intact after the other has passed away."

"Makes sense, seeing as a lifemate literally carries the other half of one's soul."

"Yes." Mikhail glanced out at the woods. Something was stirring out in the woods. Cole could feel it coming towards them. She glanced at Mikhail, but he gave nothing away about whether he felt the presence as well.

_Gale, cover the rear._

_Got it._

_Joseph keep close to my sisters._

_It's just another male. They are going to appear in front of us soon. _

_I know, but I have a feeling. _She shared the feeling with him. It was little more than an itching crawling feeling. A premonition of bad things to come, but it didn't necessarily mean the man coming was bad. She relieved that Joseph moved closer to Sarah and Maria. Both girls were shuffling through the snow and kicking it at each other. They were just enjoying the night and the snow.

A man suddenly appeared in front of them. He bowed to Mikhail before striding up to him.

"Mikhail, this is where you have been. Some of our warriors arrived with news." Cole watched as the man clearly someone Mikhail knew walked closer. He was dressed in a long coat thick pants, and snow boots. His smile was genuine and welcoming, but the itching feeling got stronger.

_Cole! Don't let that man near Mikhail! _Maria warned

_Why?_

_He's wearing an illusion the man underneath is a vampire! _Cole blurred forward and knocked Mikhail aside just in time. The man's clawed fingers rammed deep into her stomach. Blood rushed from the wound and all she could hear was Joseph's cry of pain and rage. Cole gripped the man's arm, not just with her hands but also with her gift. She held him so he couldn't get away. Mikhail and Joseph both went for a killing blow, but Maria screamed, both mentally and out loud,

"No! Don't he is connected to someone else!" Both Joseph and Mikhail's attacks rebounded off a blue shield.

_What do you mean kitten?_ Cole could feel her strength already waning, seeping out through the wound in her stomach.

_The illusion, the reason no one could tell he was a vampire is because the illusion is real. Or it's connected to a real person if you kill him or destroy the illusion you will kill the person who is the illusion. _Cole turned back to the vampire. He still had the look and feel of a Carpathian male.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Daniel, a hunter." Cole growled.

"I meant who are you underneath him?" the man chuckled.

"I will have to kill me to find out." He looked behind her and Cole screamed a warning. Another man came out of the woods and launched an attack. Mikhail, Joseph, and Gale went to work attacking him. Maria shouted,

"Don't kill him! You will kill the hunter he is disguised as!" The vampire whirled past the three men and went arching straight for Maria. Cole screamed at her sister to run. Maria shifted shape in to her Jaguar form and rolled away. The cat snarled at the vampire but backed up so she stood between him and Sarah. The vampire glanced around at the group of men approaching him. The he launched himself, not at Maria or Sarah, but at Cole's back. Pain exploded as his fist broke through ribs to get at her heart. Cole gasped desperately trying to get air into her lungs. But she was drowning in her own blood.

The vampire in front of her laughed.

"I don't think they will spare us now." Cole spat out blood and then jumped for the vampire's throat. Her teeth closed over a small piece of flesh and she ripped it away. Then she drank some of the putrid blood that spilled from the wound. It wouldn't kill him, but then she didn't want him dead. With her last vestige of strength she surged into his mind, now that she had a connection to him.

The foulness and hatred beat at her mind and inner light. The depravity this man committed was beyond unspeakable. Cole had to look past that. She needed to find where they were keeping the warriors whose image these men were holding. She certainly wasn't about to abandon them to the vampire's or worse. She dug until she found what she had been looking for. It was a hazy memory of caves. They weren't in the Carpathian mountains near here, but they were somewhere in the range. There were five men total. Each was chained to a wall with chains coated in vampire's blood. All of them were very pale.

I'm coming for you she promised. Then she whispered to Joseph who she knew was in her mind, _I know you won't let me die. But don't let innocent men be killed either._ Then darkness took her over.


	17. Chapter 17

It was beyond him what he saw. Cole intentionally dragged the vampire closer and bit him. Joseph watched in horror as she drank the vile blood that would poison her further. He was in her mind. Pain was on the verge of swamping her, but she was determined to do this. So he fed her all his strength and went with her through the memories. He witnessed each despicable and depraved act. He was with her in the cell with the other Carpathian men. Her grief raked at his insides like hot coals. He heard her promise to them. Then she turned to him and said the words that gave him courage. She would not die and she trusted him to ensure that. These men wouldn't win.

"Gale can you hold both of them like you held me?" Gale nodded. Sarah and Maria were about to run to Cole, but Mikhail held them back. Joseph blocked out their screams for their sister. If let himself hear them he would not be able to leave the monsters alive. Cole had slumped into a dead feint, but she was still holding both vampires with her gift. Gale wrapped both men in his shield.

Joseph looked at their faces, each one was shocked at the barrier that surrounded them, because there would be no escape. The barrier that surrounded them was not made of magic like most of the Carpathian safe guards. Carefully Joseph removed their hands from Cole's limp body. Then he whispered the words that forever bind her to him.

"I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into keeping the same that is yours. You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care." He swept Cole up into his arms and called across the night to any healer who would hear him.

_My lifemate is in danger. She has risked her life to gain knowledge of our fellow warriors who have been taken. I am in great need of a healer._ Joseph listened and was surprised when not only did Skyler, her aunts answer his call, but so did Gregori, Julian, Shea, and Ivory. There was comfort and reassurance in their answer. Joseph rushed Cole to the cavern. There healing herbs were set out. Candles burned spreading healing scents around. Joseph laid Cole down in front of everyone.

"We must draw out any parasites that have been injected into her first. If we don't we will be wasting our time trying to heal the damage done to her body." Skyler, Tatijana, Branislava, and Shea took up position at the cardinal points and began the healing chant. Gregori, Ivory, and Julian shed their physical bodies and entered Cole's body.

_I will repair her heart, you two take the parasites._ Ivory told the men. Neither respond simply began the war on the evil creatures now devouring the young woman's body. Joseph slipped easily into Cole's mind and held the pain away from her by embracing it. He also sheltered her inner light from the onslaught of poison that was corroding away at her.

Ivory slowly repaired the damaged valves of the heart. Painstakingly going through making sure the wound was completely sealed. She closed open veins that were leaking blood into her body. Then she brought the flesh of the wound together making sure it was perfect. Exhausted she returned to her own body swaying with weariness. Razvan was there and offered his arm to his lifemate. She drank until she was strong again and reentered Cole's torn body.

The hours ticked away slowly. Julian and Gregori made very slow progress on exterminating the parasites that ran rampant through Cole's blood and body. Both men were swaying with weariness and exhaustion was pressing against them as the sun began to rise. Sarah then stood at Cole's feet and spread her arms out wide to encompass everyone who was healing or providing blood. A warm glow spread from her open arms and wrapped around everyone giving them strength and energy. The day faded into night and finally Gregori and Julian were both sure the parasites no longer roamed through her body. They both withdrew from her limp form.

"She needs blood to replace what she has." Gregori told Joseph. He nodded and pulled Cole up into his lap and cradled in his arms. Joseph drew a line across his chest over the muscle and said,

"Cole, my love I need you to drink." He pressed her lips against the wound and had to make her open her mouth to accept the life giving blood. Once she had enough he closed the wound and laid her back down. Ivory, Gregori, and Julian went back into Cole's body. They started on the stomach wound. First they started by cleaning out any infection that was starting to fester. Then they mended her organs, making sure to completely seal them. Then the three went to her older wounds and tried to do what they could. Finally they left Cole's body swaying in exhaustion. Ivory laid a hand on Joseph's shoulder.

"You will want to have her go through the conversation." Joseph nodded. That had been his intention since the moment Cole had given him her trust. "It is possible that the earth can fix the damage that had been done years earlier." Joseph did not let that hope touch his mind. He had seen how Cole and wanted to have kids of her own and husband who would love them as she did, but she had wept for that dream when the vampire had attacked her. She considered her sisters and brother to be the only family she would have.

"Will you take her sisters away from here and bring them someplace safe? I don't want them to witness this." Ivory nodded and led the children away from the chamber. The rest of the healers and their lifemates also left to give them privacy.


	18. Chapter 18

"Cole." He whispered to her. Her mind stirred and automatically reached out to him. She was exhausted. But her eyes opened as she looked up at him.

_I knew you wouldn't fail me._

_I wouldn't be so sure. I had to make you fully Carpathian for you to survive._ He waited for the condemnation that was sure to come. But instead her weak laughter filled his mind.

_I know. I think I knew since the first moment I ran into you. _She sighed and shifted as the warmth started to grow in her. _What is done is done. I cannot change it, but also I don't think I would want to._ The warmth grew until it was a raging fire. She gasped as the pain stole her breath away. _Oh God._ Cole's weakened mind crawled closer to Joseph. Her mind quickly searched his for an explanation. She came across the memory of Skylar's conversation and she swore.

The fire raced down her muscles making them lock up and her whole body jerk. Her body jerked this way and that like she was having seizures. Her nails dug into the soil as her body jerked up and then slammed down. Joseph wrapped Cole's mind up in his own and tried to distance her from the pain and ease it, but it only seemed to make the agony worse. It seemed like hours she lay there trying not to move, but her body doing so anyway. Slowly the pain started to recede from her body.

_This sucks. _Cole's weak voice filled his mind.

_This is hell. _Refuted Joseph, Cole laughed weakly her voice like a soft breeze through his mind.

_I had no idea._ Then another wave of pain choked her. Her organs were already being reshaped. With what little strength she had Cole rolled over just in time. She vomited over and over again. Joseph willed the vomit away. _Why am I-? _before she could finish another wave of pain crashed through her body.

_Your body is rejecting the human parts of you. Carpathians can't eat human food so you have to get rid of any food already in your body._ Cole nodded her understanding then collapsed back into Joseph's lap.

She lay in his lap completely passively. Joseph could feel her exhaustion growing as the hours slid by. He thanked the lord that the jaguar had not been very strong in Cole. Otherwise if what he had heard from Bryon was anything to go by, this would have been much worse.

_I'm so tired. _Suddenly Cole's spirit began to drift away. Joseph wrapped his spirit around Cole's flickering light. Then another voice was there,

_Cole you can't leave us! _Gale was desperate. _I don't know what I'll do without you._

_Don't go Cole!_ Came Maria's sharp cry of denial, her tears seemed to stream through the mental link and tug at Cole's spirit.

_Cole._ This time Cole's spirit did stop and turned back to the tiny voice. _You made a promise to the men who have been captured, and to us. Will you go back on your word? _Cole's spirit stood there on the edge of this life and the next. She surveyed her siblings for a long time.

_Where ever you choose to go I will follow._ Joseph told her as he took her hand. She glanced at him then looked behind her.

_I will not go back on my word._ Together they walked back to their bodies. Joseph opened the dirt and laid Cole in it. Then he sent her into the deep sleep of their people. Joseph laid beside her and pulled the rich loam of soil over them.

When he woke the next night Gale sat leaning up against the wall waiting. Joseph rose and pulled the soil aside and hovered out of the soil.

"You will need to feed brother." Gale told him. Joseph raised his eyebrows at the other boy.

"Am I your brother now? After I put your sister in danger and nearly lost her." Gale pulled himself off the wall and walked up to Joseph.

"Cole made her choice, she trusted you. You did not fail her. You are the one who saved her, who called her back when she would have chosen the shack off her burdens and join our parents and grandparents. It was not me, or Maria, or even Sarah who called her back to life. It was you, when you promised to follow her wherever she went. She would not let you die, not without a damn good fight." Gale held out his arm to joseph and said, "Take what is freely given brother." Joseph stared at Gale for a long time. There was a true comrade in his lifemate's brother. It was not just Cole who had trusted him, it had been this man as well. Joseph took Gale's arm and distanced him from the act as he drew enough blood from him to sustain him and Cole. Gale swayed with dizziness and Joseph helped him to sit down. Gale waved him off. "Go take care of Cole."

Joseph went to Cole and made sure there was no dirt around her. He didn't want her to panic when he woke her. _Cole you need to wake up and feed._ Her heart started to beat and her lungs drew in a deep breath. She stirred through the layers of sleep and opened her eyes. Her mind instantly sought his. She stretched and slowly sat up. Her hunger beat at his mind and he felt the sudden rush of desire. She was beautiful.

A slow seductive smile spread across her lips, and her laughter curled through his mind. _I can hear your thoughts._ He felt her hands on him even though they were still lying beside her. Joseph groaned out loud.

_Woman you are going to kill me. We can't do this here, your brother is sitting not five feet from us._ Her laughter wrapped around his mind and brought out a hunger in him he would. not be able to satisfy. Yet.

_You need to feed Cole._ Her mind stilled in his own. Her way of hiding what she was thinking. He could press and find out, but he let her keep her thoughts to herself. She would tell him when she was ready.

_I don't think I can._

_You already have._

_That was because I had to._

_Trust me. You trusted me with your life. _Cole nodded resolutely as Joseph drew a line across his chest over his chest. Her lips were pressed gently to the wound brushing up against his skin like a butterfly wing. Erotic images rushed to his mind as heat surged through his body. His body tightened against his clothes and he groaned as her lips moved over him. She took what she needed the close the wound with a slow lick of her tongue.

_Satisfied? _There was a very feminine amusement in her voice. It stirred the something deep in his soul.

_Be careful, my little warrior kitten, do not ask for what you don't yet want. _Her laughter had his veins singing, and his body pulsing with need.

_If you say so._

_Yes I do._


	19. Chapter 19

Joseph helped Cole to Stand. She glanced down at her body to see she was still dressed in her bloody clothes. She swore violently as she looked at the damage done the garments.

"I really liked this cloak." Joseph took the cloak waved his hand over it then handed it back to Cole. She looked at him skeptically, but held it up to inspect anyway. The holes were repaired so that even she couldn't tell where they had been. All of the blood had also been completely removed from garment as well. "Alright that is cool."

"Where have you been all our lives?" Gale asked from his spot on the floor. "You have no idea how many times I've mended that thing and the rest of their costumes." Joseph shrugged casually.

"I did spend time in Italy for a little bit, when my uncle Byron found his lifemate." Then he turned to Cole. "We should probably get you to your sisters, they were worried about you." The response from Cole was instant, panic, fear, and guilt crossed her features. Each emotion crashed through her mind and threatened to overwhelm her.

_Deep breaths kitten. They are alright._ She struggled with each emotion trying to gain control of them. She reached for Joseph her mind asking what was wrong with her. Joseph hugged her body close to him _It is alright, our kind feels emotion very strongly. That is why I tried to warn you of the course you were going down earlier. _Blush flushed her cheeks with a deep red color and her mind went blank again. Joseph laughed. _Why do you do that? You obviously learned to do it young._ He felt her question. _You make your mind go blank._

_When you constantly are connected to your younger siblings you learn how to keep certain things from them._ Her mind went instantly to when she had been wounded by the vampire the last few days. She had deliberately shielded her siblings from the pain. Joseph sent warmth and comfort to her.

_Shall we go see them?_ Cole nodded and walked over to her brother to help him up. Gale wobbled on his feet and slumped sideways. Cole tugged his arm around her shoulder and easily held him up.

"What happened to the prisoners?" Gale shrugged.

"Mikhail took them somewhere. I'm still holding a barrier around them just in case." Cole's eyes widened

"You're still holding the shield and you gave blood? Gale that was very foolish." Gale simply shrugged causally.

"Mikhail, said there would be other things holding them. But I continued holding the barriers out of precaution."

"Good, do you think you could figure out where they are being held? I want to-."

"No." Joseph interrupted. Cole turned and glared at him.

"You don't even know what I was-."

"Yes I do. You were going to say that you wanted to root through the vampires mind again, which I said no to. You are still recovering. To go into his mind now could get you hurt again. Besides, he wasn't expecting you to do it the first time now he will be expecting it."

"So what do propose I do? Abandon those men they have?" Joseph growled at her.

"I honestly don't give a damn about them. I trade them for you any day without a second thought. However I'm not saying you abandon them. I'm saying rest be with your family. Then tomorrow night I'm taking you to learn from someone who has fought mages to learn from them. Then when you've got some knowledge in your arsenal we can go get them back." Cole blinked as if she didn't quite comprehend what he had said. Hope flashed in her eyes and she nodded.

Together the three of them made their way from the cave to Joseph's home. When they stepped through the door the squeals of joy from her sisters were deafening. Cole winced as the sound cut deep.

_Will the volume to change._ It took a moment, but Cole was finally able to turn the volume down. She bent down and picked up both sisters and swung them around before setting them back down. They spoke at the same time,

"Are you okay?" Cole nodded and knelt down in front of them.

"Yes I'm okay little ones." Maria rung her hands together.

"So you aren't going to leave us?" Cole shuck her head no.

"I'm staying right here with you guys."

"But you didn't want to earlier." Cole sighed and sat down on the floor in front of her sisters and held their hands.

"I was hurt and the pain was very difficult to deal with kitten. You all helped me remember what I was fighting for. So I came back, don't ever forget that." Maria nodded tears in her eyes as she flung her arms around her older sister's neck. Cole looked at Sarah who had a curious look on her face. Cole reached out to her younger sister. "What's wrong princess?" Sarah reached out and laid a hand over Cole's old scar. Cole reached out attentively to her youngest sister's mind. She was nearly knocked over by the sheer joy and shock coming off her sister. It took a moment for her to figure out what was wrong. All she saw was organs, fully intact and without so much as a scar on them. Then it clicked. These were the organs that the vampire had shredded four years earlier. Cole stared blankly at the memories.

Joseph felt her stillness and merged with her mind. Then he saw what both sisters were seeing, shock colored his expression. How was this possible, he wondered, she had only been in the ground a day. Normally it took three days to heal from the conversation. But not only was she healed, but entire organs had regrown. Then the next thing clicked. The dream Cole secretly held could now be fulfilled. Sarah finally broke the silence,

"I want to learn from the healers." Cole felt her younger sister's joy, but under it was also shame and guilt she had been unable to do the same. Cole pulled Sarah into her arms and hugged her,

"No princess, you should never feel guilt for what happened. You did your absolute best, which I heard from Gregori was better than anyone he had ever seen. You saved me, never forget that." Cole wiped the tears away from Sarah's eyes. The younger sniffed,

"I still want to learn." Cole nodded

"As you wish princess, I will talk to the different healers to see if they will teach you."

_Skyler and her aunts will gladly teach her._

_I want her to learn from all the healers. That includes Gregori and the woman who was healing me._


	20. Chapter 20

Sarah and Maria asked more questions about the conversation and Cole gave them only vague answers. She was still struggling with the idea of the amount of pain it had been. Not only that, but Cole worried especially about Maria. Out of all of their siblings the Jaguar was strongest in her. From what she had glimpsed in Joseph's mind having a Jaguar made the process harder, because the cat fought the invading blood and eventually lost. Cole knew the Jaguar was second strongest in her then Gale. Sarah however seemed to have gained the most Carpathian in her genes. The thought of Sarah undergoing the conversation still made Cole uneasy.

Joseph helped shield her from these thoughts and brought everyone into the living room. He turned on the newest looking gaming system and handed a controller to Gale, Maria, and Sarah. The racing game started and started and four cars zipped across the Grand Canyon course.

_How are you controlling the car?_

_With my mind, Alexandria designed it so young Carpathians could practice using their mental abilities._

_You mean like willing clothes into existence?_

_Yep._ Cole thought about this then asked,

_Would you mind if I looked through your mind to see how it's done?_

_Go right ahead._ Cole curled up on the couch, making sure she was comfortable before diving into Joseph's memories. She focused on any memories he had of shifting, looking at how it felt, and how he went about it. Then she just sat there and absorbed information like a sponge. Then she came across a memory of Joseph in the form of a owl. He was swooping at a girl, Skyler she realized. Joseph seemed to dive at her but ran straight into a wall. Cole smothered her laughter as the bird Joseph landed in the snow and the girl came over to see if he was okay. Then he sprang at her, causing her to shriek and swear at him. Cole felt Joseph's chuckle as he watched the memory with her.

_That was mean._

_No, that was funny._

_I hope she hit you._

_You are a very violent lifemate._ Cole poured her smug satisfaction into his mind before replying,

_Of course I am._

_Good thing I know you're a soft hearted kitten under all that violence._ Cole suddenly had a wicked idea which she shielded from Joseph. _What are you thinking?_

_I want to try shapeshifting. _She certainly understood how to do it. She had absorbed all knowledge Joseph had on it. She held the image in her mind. Her body rippled and creaked as her body reformed into that of a small fluffy kitten. Cole could see herself in Joseph's eyes. Her fur was soft and gold except for a ring that started behind her ears and went around her head and the tip of her. These were both bright red like her own hair. Cole swiped at Joseph with unsheathed claws. Joseph however simply chuckled and picked her up around the middle.

"You probably should have thought to try something bigger." Cole's fur bristled as she squirmed and hissed at him. Joseph set her down on the back of the couch. When she tried to swipe at the back of his neck a sudden gust of wind knocked her off the couch. Joseph turned to look over the couch.

"You okay-?" he swore as mountain lion jumped up from the other side of the couch and pounced on him. Maria shrieked in surprise and Gale and Sarah both jumped away just in time to avoid landing in the tussle of man and cat. For a brief moment the siblings watched as their older sister, in the form of a mountain lion wrestled her lifemate. Then they all exchanged grins before tackling the wriggling pair. Joseph groaned in mock pain as each sibling's weight was added to the pile. "You're all heavy!" Maria and Sarah giggled. Both the girls bounced up and down on the pile of wriggling bodies.

A gentle knock on the door finally made everyone disentangle and get up off the pile. Joseph dusted himself then glided to the front. When he opened the door it was Mikhail and a woman standing there. He let couple in and inclined his head at Mikhail. Cole still in the form of the mountain lion came around the corner and stopped when she nearly walked right into the dark haired woman. She quickly shifted to her human form and stepped back.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean-."

"It's alright dear." She held her hand out to Cole. "I am Raven, Mikhail's wife."

"Lifemate." Mikhail replied. Both the women ignored him.

"So you are Joseph's lifemate. We always wondered who would be," she bit her lip as if she was trying not to laugh. "Gifted with being his." Cole snorted.

"You mean who the poor soul was that would have to deal with him. It's okay I have accepted it." Joseph feigned outrage at his lifemate.

_I will remember that._ Cole smiled sweetly at him trying to ignore the choking laugh Mikhail had made. The older couple shared a knowing glance.

"Well, you certainly are a good fit, maybe you will keep him and his friends out of trouble." Now Joseph snorted,

"More like she will be leading it." One of Cole's boots came racing out of her room and proceeded to chase Joseph around the house. Cole pretended to ignore his swearing as she lead the couple into the kitchen. Mikhail gave Joseph a fleeting look of sympathy as he followed to two women.

"I take it your visit is more than a friendly one." There was a loud crash from the other room as something glass toppled over. No doubt a result of Joseph fleeing the boot that was still chasing him.

"This is so not funny!" Joseph yelled as Maria and Sarah cheered the boot on in the other room. Mikhail tried very hard to keep a straight face as Cole sat down on the other side of the table as if nothing was going on in the other room. Raven on the other hand chuckled darkly.

"I like her." She said to her lifemate. Cole crossed her legs and waited.

"You are correct. I wanted to discuss how you knew what you did about the vampires." Cole's gaze slid from Mikhail to Raven. Mikhail's expression was blank, but confusion had briefly flickered across Raven's face.

"So what would you do with the information?" Cole's knew if she wasn't careful her anger would get the better of her. Already she could Joseph assessing what she had seen.

"We would find the others like them, and save the missing hunters."

"And I suppose you were going to try to make sure me or my family didn't participate in the hunt? Must have been hard to think of something else once you realized you wouldn't be able to get my family to tell you how we knew. Then you thought you would bring your lifemate here because I would be more trusting of her because she is a woman." Her glare was stone as Raven turned her outrage on her husband.

"Mikhail!" he had the good grace to look ashamed. Joseph suddenly appeared behind Cole, his support of her written clearly across his face.

"You were only in the ground for a day. We thought you should rest."

"That is not you decision to make." Cole snapped "I have been a leader for most of my life. I understand your desire to protect the women of your species, but as I cannot conceive you can't claim such a thing with me." Joseph didn't even blink at the blatant lie."Furthermore it is clear what you and most of your people think of my lifemate, even after the risk him and two human children paid to get one of your warriors back." Now even Raven looked uncomfortable. Cole felt a tinge of guilt towards her, but her lifemate still had much to answer for. "What foolish leader does not use all the tools available to him?" Mikhail looked at her with something between guilt and respect. "Your enemies certainly won't expect a woman, so why not use the element of surprise?"

"There is still a risk to your life." Cole snorted

"There's a risk to anyone who goes. At least Joseph and I can go undetected through my siblings." Mikhail looked unconvinced. "You didn't even feel me hovering right above you outside that cavern." He sighed and nodded the truth to this.

"I would still like to know how you detected the vampire's and the nature of their illusion."

"I will make you a deal. Summon your warriors and with all of them present I will tell you all how I did and set it up so you can see it too." Mikhail nodded his agreement. Then Cole gestured towards the door.

"You can show yourselves out." The couple got up together and then left.


	21. Chapter 21

Joseph slid into the chair next to Cole.

"You know Raven didn't know. I suspect Mikhail just said he was coming to visit a girl who had become Carpathian, she probably didn't even think he would."

"That's not what I'm angry about." She sighed. It had certainly been a factor, but what had really pushed her over the edge is that it was patently obviously none of the adults had a true respect for Joseph. That made her furious. She had almost jumped the table and strangled the man for his ignorance. Joseph's amusement curled through her mind and warmed her.

_I'm glad you feel protective of me. But it is alright my warrior kitten. I like being able to surprise them. _

_No, they are ignorant. They have seen what you are capable of and they do not give you the proper respect even after seeing. I could understand them not trusting or showing respect to me; someone they don't know. Especially considering I was openly hostile towards your kind._ Her rage was only just tempered. Joseph's mind curled around hers protectively.

_It will be alright, you do need to prove yourself to anyone, least of all them. As for me, I can contend with working in the shadows while you play hero. If my lady allows me to accompany her that is._ Cole couldn't keep the smile from her lips at his smooth words.

_You are a dangerous man._ Already she could feel desire stirring, but now was neither the time nor this place for such things. Smug amusement radiated through her mind.

_How so?_ It was a blatant dare on his part, but Cole chose the better part of valor and retreated to the living room where her siblings had resumed the game. She was surprised to see Joseph's character still moving to. Even through all the joking around he had still been able to focus on it and control the character. She knew he felt her amazement. He blew it off. _It's not that hard._ Cole could feel his pride through their bond. It made him happy that she was in awe of him.

_Don't sell yourself short, ever._ Her words were said through clenched teeth and the unsaid words "or else" shimmered between them.

_Alright my little warrior kitten._

_No._

_No what?_

_I am not little, kitten was bad enough you are not allowed to add little to it._ Joseph came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck before saying,

_No, my little kitten._ He laughed as she bristled. The character Joseph was playing in the video game suddenly swerved and smashed into a wall, losing him first place. Cole glanced at the game and her cheering siblings before turning back to Joseph with a raised eyebrow.

_Distracted?_

_Very._ It was that moment that a sliver of worry lodged in her mind. She couldn't pin it down, but it was there in the back of her mind like an itch. It was making her very nervous. Cole turned to survey her family. No, the threat wasn't to them. _What is love?_

_I'm not sure, but someone I care about is in danger._

_But your family is all here._ Fear slithered through Cole.

_Not all of it. _Joseph caught an image of dozens of faces. Her circus friends, chief among them, Anna. Cole whirled towards the door and Joseph instantly willed warm clothes around her body. Her knives and belts flew from her room and instantly attached themselves around her waist, wrists, and back. Gale was in her mind.

_What is it Cole. _

_I think another vampire is hunting the circus._

_Like the ones that attack you._

_Yes._

_Can you-?_

_I can make five separate shields. You know that. So there are five warriors which means five potential vampires. If the other three are there I can't shield you or Joseph. _

_I know._

_Do you want Maria to cast an illusion over you?_

_No._ Cole reached for Maria.

_Yes?_

_Can you let me see through your eyes so I can see past the illusion?_

_Yes._

_But stay-._

_Hidden, I know._

_Good._ Cole tapped into her sister's power and continued her way to the circus grounds. Joseph was striding beside her as the trees blurred past them.

_It will be alright. We won't let any harm come to our family._ He deliberately included his protection and acceptance of her family. Cole gave him a weak smile. She wasn't sure if she believed it. The noggin was growing stronger.

They came to the entrance of the campgrounds. It was eerily silent when they entered. Cole turned towards the animal cages. First she went to the tiger's cage. Ben was pacing restlessly in the back corner. Cole slipped through the bars and extended her hand to the large cat. He sniffed the air then made a noise that was between a moan and a whimper. Cole wrapped her mind around the tiger's whispering soothing thoughts into his mind as she gently scratched behind his ears.

_Ben, I know you feel the evil that has come into our home. I need your help to find them before someone gets hurt._ Joseph was amazed when he realized Ben actually understood what Cole was saying. His spirit seemed to curl in on itself like he was trying to hide. The tiger wanted nothing to do with the monsters that had invaded their home. Joseph caught a brief memory.

The smell of stale booze and popcorn permeated the memory. A harsh voice slurred commands then the hot sting of whip crack against Ben's exposed back. The man snarled commands, but the tiger was too young and afraid to understand them. Cole gentle voice broke into the big cat's memory. _Yes, the evil ones are here to hurt people, but I will stop them if you can help me find them. _Ben's mind flashed with the image of the horses in the corral and the question, why not them, shimmered between the girl and tiger. _The horses do not have your sense and are to skittish to be able to accurately pinpoint them. If I wait much longer harm could come to our family._ The snow tiger paced and whimpered, he was afraid, he didn't want to be hurt again.

_I will protect you Ben, just like I did back then, don't you remember?_ Of course he remembered. The whip had been about to come down again but someone stepped in the way. The tiger watched in fear as a small girl ripped the offending weapon from the man's hands. Ben had wished he could warn the girl, he could smell the man's arousal and knew the look on his face. When he came at her he moved quickly, but the girl was faster. Dancing out of the way she struck at him with lethal force. She was a predator like Ben should be. Her smaller fists then made quick work of Ben's abuser.

So Ben reached out, he knew where the other foul predators were. One was were the humans stayed and two others were in the big tent where he performed. Instantly Cole felt fear tie a hard knot in her stomach. The trailer the presence was coming from was Anna's. Cole thanked Ben then slipped past the bars. Her heart was in her throat as she ran through the campgrounds to Anna's car. She flung the door and nearly gagged when she stepped inside.

It looked like red paint had been splashed over the walls and across Anna's desk. Cole shoved down the emotions, but let out a strangled cry when she saw an arm on the other side of the desk. Steeling herself she stepped around the carnage to see the body. If it hadn't been for the fact she hadn't eaten Cole would have thrown up right there. All of the person's limbs lay scattered like pieces of a broken doll. The chest cavity was completely ripped open and the internal organs were spread across the floor.

Cole swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to study the remains. The shock of seeing all the carnage in Anna's car had made her believe it was Anna's body. But as she studied the features of the body, noting there was no head, she realized the body was male. A tattoo on the right arm confirmed that it was in fact Jason. Cole shoved the memories that were rising up into a box in the back of her mind. There would be vengeance for this she swore.

_Ben where are they._

_The big tent._ Cole snarled and whirled around brushing past Joseph. She knew he was remaining firmly in her mind watching her and sending her comfort.

_What do you want to do?_

_Catch these bastards, and then when this is all over they are going to fry. _Joseph nodded. Cole was suppressing the anguish of her loss, because she was still worried for the rest of her circus family. Together they made their way to the big tent. They stared in horror at what they saw on the stage.

Anna was striping out of her clothes on stage and rubbing her body against a man. Cole growled and said to her brother,

_Stick him in the smallest box you can._

_With pleasure. _A shimmering blue barrier formed a bubble around the vampire. Anna blinked and looked dazed as Cole strode up to her and flung her coat around her shoulders to cover her half naked body.

"Go stand by Joseph." Cole's voice was firm and full of compulsion. Anna stood and walked up to the barrier where the vampire snarled in outrage at her. His illusion was handsome, had the classic Greek god features to him. Underneath he was a rotten shell of a man.

"You can't kill me." He hissed in triumph. Cole nodded as if she was thinking about it then the barrier shrunk down about a foot making it so the vampire and to bend over slightly.

"True, but I can make you very uncomfortable." The barrier shrunk again so the vampire was forced to kneel. "I think that is a much better position for you to be in." The vampire snarled, but then the barrier shrank again forcing him into a fetal position. Then Cole turned to the stands. She couldn't see the other two, but she knew they were there. _Keep Anna close, I'm going to draw them out._ Cole selected the knife that was in her boot. With that knife she cut a deep line across her hand. She let the blood well up into her hand before clenching her fist. Then she willed the blood that had flowed out of the wound into a fine mist and scattered it throughout the tent.

"Here kitty, kitty." Cole said to the stands. She knew the smell of blood would drive them mad. Even if they were experienced vampires the smell of her rich blood would draw them out. She smiled as the first one stepped out of the shadows to her right. He growled and lunged for Cole only to smack face first into a barrier and be wrapped up.

Anna punched Joseph's jaw and bolted for the stage raising a dagger as she charged at Cole. Cole swiftly knocked her out and caught her before she could hit the floor. Gently she laid Anna down. Adrenaline was singing down her veins, urged on by her anger that someone who use sweet Anna like this.

"It is time to face justice." Joseph said to the still hidden vampire. Cole caught a glimpse of a bloody smile before it disappeared.

"No I think it's time for a game." The voice echoed around the tent making it impossible to tell where it was coming from. Cole stepped forward and regretted it. The vampire was behind her and went straight for Anna's defenseless body. Just as his teeth were about to sink into her throat, Cole's hook blades were in hand and wrapped around his neck. She yanked him away from her adoptive mother and flung him straight into the wall. When he started to move, Joseph was there instantly restraining him. A blue shield confined him to a small space. But she smiled up at Cole. Blood smeared his face and lips. It even stained his teeth. "Did you like the present I left you?"

"I will enjoy watching you die." The man chuckled

"You lie. You are of the light, you cannot harm me." Cole stalked towards him pulling darkness around as prowled forward. She chuckled darkly at him.

"If you knew to do what you did to Jason then you already know I am not like normally Carpathian women. I reveal in destroying your kind. I pull the darkness around me and I dissect your kind. But what I have in store for you three will be so much sweeter than any previous torture." Joseph shuttered but did not intervene. "Once I'm done making you scream, I'll show you the most beautiful thing there is. The dawn."

"You lie." The vampire replied again, but this time less sure of himself.

"Am I?" Cole moved closer to look the man in the eyes. "You harmed my family and for that all of you will pay. You shall meet the dawn. I will make sure of that." Then Cole turned her back on the three prisoners and scooped up Anna.

_Call Mikhail ask him to bring Gregori to look at Anna._ Joseph nodded and sent the call out in the night.


	22. Chapter 22

Cole brought Anna to the mess hall and set her on a bench. The other girl's whole body shuck and trembled like a leaf. Cole wrapped a napkin around her bleeding hand then took Anna's hands into hers.

"Anna I need you to listen to me." The other girl's focus shot towards Cole.

"Cole! You need to get out of here. There's a man." She shuddered from head to toe. "Good and yet evil." Her hands were shaking harder and Cole shushed her.

"It's alright Anna. He has been taken care of. He can never hurt you again, I will always protect you."

"No, Cole, you don't understand. He-." She gasped and tears started flowing from her eyes. "Oh, God! Jason!" Cole hugged Anna tight and whispered words her grandmother and mother taught her. She whispered the words until Anna's sobs and shaking calmed. "How it that possible?" Anna asked in a small voice. "He ripped apart Jason." Cole smoothed Anna's hair and whispered,

"Anna." Anna looked up at Cole. "You know about me and my family." Anna tried shaking her head in denial. "Anna, you know. I know you know. You have seen Sarah heal. You saw it when Andréa broke her ankle. You told everyone there was a doctor that came by. But you saw around the illusion that Maria made. You saw Maria become a jaguar. You have seen blue shield pop up and prevent accidents in the shipping room. Heaven knows you have seen my weapons floating in the air." Anna stared at her, but there was no surprise in her features. Cole had noticed Anna every time their adoptive mother had witnessed their gifts. She never treated them any different and always doted on them.

"Yes."

"What you saw today was the other side of the coin that we are on. They are creatures of evil that seek to destroy all that is of the light and good. You are of the light and they can see that in you. I will give you the choice. You can forget everything you saw, it will never touch you again. Or I can distance you from what happened, but you will have to keep it a secret and I will know if you betray us." Anna looked into to Cole's eyes for the longest time then smiled. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair out Cole's face.

"Such a strong girl. You have always protected my family ever since you saved Ben. You know I will keep your secrets always." Anna's gaze drifted over Cole's shoulder. Cole turned to see Gregori stroll into the room. Cole hovered protectively in front of Anna.

"Can you make sure she's okay?" Gregori nodded and approached Anna. Cole stepped aside and let Gregori work. She hovered and watched as he left his body and entered Anna's body. Anna gazed into Gregori's unblinking eyes. Her head tilted to the side. A serene smile spread across her face as Gregori left her body. He looked to Cole.

"The vampire did not harm or infect with its parasites." Cole let out a sigh of relief. Anna giggled,

"You have very pretty eyes sir. Are you single?" Cole looked absolutely horrified at this outburst. It was very unlike Anna. Gregori look only slightly bemused.

"I am married." Anna's eyes lit up.

"She must be a very lucky woman." Gregori's eyes almost glowed with pride.

"It is I who is lucky, my lady." Anna smiled up at Gregori.

"You are a good man. I can see it. You have a look about you. Some free advice." Gregori eyed the woman.

"Sure."

"My children." She nodded at Cole. "Are precious gifts to the world."

"All women and children are." Anna nodded her agreement.

"Just because something is beautiful and precious doesn't mean it should be put in a glass case. You strike me as one that would lock Cole and her sisters up some place safe and ask that they let you protect them." Gregori was nodded and Anna shuck her head no. "Flowers are delicate little things and yet if you take them out of the harsh weather and stick them in a box they will fade and die. Isn't that right?" Gregori didn't respond he glanced at Cole who held her hands up.

"Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with this." Anna stood on her shaky legs.

"Regardless, I need to lay down." Her face suddenly went white. "Jason." She clapped a hand over her mouth and started sobbing. Cole looked imploringly at Gregori. He laid a hand on Anna forehead. Her sobs instantly stilled.

"Show me to her trailer." Cole nodded then made sure Anna was sitting before leading Gregori out of the tent. She wove her way through the different tents and past the corral where the horses were huddled in the far corner. Cole stopped in front of the door and gestured for Gregori to step in. Cole could see the scene of blood and death reflected in his eyes. She stepped in after Gregori.

"What must be done?"

"All evidence of our kind needs to be purge."

"Even a fire won't completely burn away the body, and it's in pieces."

"Watch." Gregori waved his hand and a flame started over the body parts. Cole could feel the burn on her skin as the temperature rose, but nothing outside of the body was burned. After a matter of moments there was nothing left of Jason but ash. Cole whispered a prayer in the Carpathian tongue.

"Go on to the next world in peace my brother." She turned to Gregori and asked, "Call lightning to burn the rest of the evidence?" Gregori nodded. They stepped out and Cole called up a storm. She directed a bolt of lightning down on to the trailer and watched as it burned.

"Where will your friend stay?"

"She can borrow our trailer until I can replace the one she lost."

"How would you afford that?" Cole snorted

"My grandmother was alive a long time and amassed a small fortune. My mother and father both had businesses as well. We are by no means poor. Besides it is the least I could do after bringing down vampires on her home."

"You did not bring them here. They might have been drawn here-."

"The blame still rests on my family and as leader and head of my family it makes this my responsibility." Gregori stared at Cole for a long time before saying,

"You are a good match for Joseph." Cole's hair bristled and she fought to keep her body from dropping into an aggressive crouch. Through clenched teeth she asked,

"How do you mean?"

"You are very rash in certain areas that Joseph is not, while Joseph is rash in areas you are not. He is clever and you are strong, both emotionally and physically. You balance each other and I think you will become an impressive pair once you grow stronger together." Cole blinked at the assessment. It certainly wasn't what she had expected.

"I have a request to ask of you." Gregori nodded for her to elaborate. "You have seen my youngest sister's gift of healing." Gregori nodded

"She will be one of the greatest healers yet." Cole felt the smile of pride tugging at her lips.

"I want you to teach what you know about healing. I want her to learn everything she can from anyone and everyone."

"Why do you want her to learn from me?"

"Because, I want to arm her with every possible tool she could want. To learn from different teachers would make her stronger and give her confidence she sorely needs."

"And if I say no?"

"You won't." Gregori raised his eyebrows at this.

"Why's that?"

"Because like me you will do what is needed to protect your family and your people. You know as well as I my sister will become a great healer even without teaching. So think what a benefit teaching her now could be. She may even get better than you." It was a deliberate jab, but it would be worth it if she could get Gregori to teach Sarah.

"Alright, we will see what she is capable of."

"You know, maybe you should start teaching all of the children the healing arts." Gregori looked at her curiously. "The more of your people armed the knowledge of healing the less you'll lose in battles." Cole turned and left him with that thought. She then went to check on each person, checking to make sure they were all safely in their beds. Something nagged at the back of her mind. They hadn't been able to find Jason's head. She shuddered at the thought of what the vampires would have done with it.


	23. Chapter 23

Cole sighed and scrubbed at her eyes. The stress of today was weighing heavily on her. She could feel Joseph constantly sending her his strength. It brought tears to her eyes at the thought of him being just wonderful to her and she hadn't given him anything.

_That's not true. You gave me you and your trust. What more could I want?_ Cole sent an image of her mother. She was strong physically, but she had always been content staying at home tended the garden and watching over Sarah and Maria. Joseph chuckled at this. _I always said I didn't want a woman who was tame and like what traditional Carpathian. No, my lifemate would have to be my partner in crime and my counter balance._

_Partner in crime? _Joseph ignored this question and continued,

_And she would be my equal in all things._

_What crimes are you expecting us to commit? _

_Nothing major, ruling the world._ Cole snorted and walked off towards the horses. She jumped the temporary fence and walked up to them. She could still feel their fear. The white stallion stepped protectively in front of the rest of the herd. It reared up on its hind legs and whined. Cole raised her hand and reached for the animal's mind. She sent calming waves until the horse settled and cautiously approached Cole. Cole in turn let him approach and sniff her to make sure she was who she claimed to be. Once that was done he whined and trotted back to the herd. Cole went to each horse individually to calm them and speak with them. She assured each one in turn that they were safe. Then she checked to make sure there weren't any rocks in their shoes. After that was done she double checked the pregnant mare she went to the white stallion.

She had asked Anna to name him for the king of horses in Tolkien's books. Instead she had named the strong stallion Snow King. In hind sight Cole could see it was a very fitting name as the horse loved snow and frequently rolled in it. Cole reached for his mind and asked I'm if he would run with her. The horse threw his head up and down and raced across the corral. Cole smiled as if a small weight was lifted off her chest. She tore after the horse letting her legs carry her across the snowy expanse. She felt exhilaration as she ran with a stallion at her side.

After the first pass around the coral Cole jumped onto Snow Kings back. She surged into his mind and the pounding thunder of his hooves over the frozen ground. She let her joy spread through not only her mind, but also Joseph's and Snow King. Then she arrowed Snow King at the fence. When they were close enough she urged him to jump. When he did she added her gift under his hooves so he sailed right over the fence. Cole let Snow King stay close to his herd as they raced through the tents. They zig-zagged through the closed stalls until Snow King stared to tire. Then Cole dismounted and lead him back to the corral.

Cole turned her attention back to Ben. The poor thing was probably scarred out of his wits. She took the fastest way to him, cutting through tents and stalls where she could. Ben was pacing at the back of his large cage. She smiled at him and slipped through the bars. Ben raced over to her and started nuzzling her and rubbing his body against hers like a giant house cat might. Cole laughed,

"You baby, I told you everything would be fine." Ben made a huffing sound as he went and lay down on his huge cushion. Cole snorted, "Yes you are." Ben closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. "Fine, then I'll leave." The tiger quickly raised his head and made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like a whine. Cole laughed and sat down beside him. "I'll stay tell you sleep, you big baby." The tiger made another huffing noise that sounded like a denial before laying his head on his paws. It wasn't long after that that exhaustion fully hit her and she drifted off to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

Joseph paced quietly outside the eating tent. Anna was making a cup off of coffee just inside,

"Come in before you wear a hole in the ground." Joseph raised his eyebrows at the woman as he stepped into the tent. She was a pretty little thing. Wavy golden locks, big eyes, and nice curves had served her well. But Joseph sensed there was a certain shrewdness about her. No one runs a business like this circus with just good looks. There steel in that small body of hers. She sipped her drink and glanced over Joseph. "So, Cole is like your kind." Joseph was shocked because this time when she spoke she spoke with an accent that was common in the villages around here. She gaged his reaction. "You really shouldn't be so surprised or let it show on your face. But, yes, I am from here. My mother told me stories of your kind. Guardians, she called you, my father scoffed at such stories. My mother would simply smile and say all legends are based in fact even if it is just a grain."

"Your mother was very wise." Anna nodded her gaze never leaving Joseph's face.

"You must realize that I think of Cole and her siblings as my own children." Joseph nodded knowing exactly where this was going.

"And you want to tell me to protect her and keep her safe?" Joseph guessed. Anna sipped her coffee and raised her eyebrows.

"You think she would willingly sit back and let someone else protect her?" They stared at each other for a long moment. "I know for a fact foul things like those vampires have stalked my family before. I also know Cole and her siblings dealt with them and until today we have never lost so much a prop much less a person. Cole will be out for blood and I know that kind of mind set can blind people. Watch her back and treat her as an equal. The very second she believes you won't she will leave you behind and any trust in you she has will be gone." Joseph bowed

"I'm honored you believe she has trust in me." Anna sipped her coffee again.

"She trusts you alright, or she wouldn't have let you come with when my life and lives of everyone here were at stake." Joseph did his best not to laugh at the word stake. There was a crunch of heavy boots coming towards them. The tent entrance parted to allow two police officers dressed in warm clothes and thick boots. Behind them was Gregori. He glanced between Joseph and Anna.

_They are here to speak with Anna about the missing actor and the fire. _Joseph nodded. Anna greeted the two men, her demeanor was instantly changed to one of sorrow and worry.

"Thank the heavens you're here." She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin she had in her pocket. "One of my people has gone missing." The police officers exchanged glances. The younger of the two gestured for Anna to sit down.

"Why don't you tell me about the missing person, and my partner will go take a look at the trailer. Is that alright with you?" Anna nodded sitting down slowly as if her legs were shaking. She dabbed at her tear filled eyes again and sniffed. Then she turned to Gregori and asked,

"Could you take this officer to my RV?" Gregori made a slight nod and left silently with the second officer in tow. Then Anna turned back to the younger officer, she wrung her hands together. "Alright, can we get this over with?" The officer nodded sympathetically.

"Just start with when you last saw him." Anna swallowed hard.

"He wasn't feeling well before the last show. He went to his cabin to lie down. I haven't seen him since. I went to check to make sure no one was hurt after the lightning strike and I found he wasn't in bed. I searched everywhere for him." Anna sniffed.

"Is it possible that he maybe had a grudge against you and tried to-." Anna looked up at the officers her wide eyes filled with shock and tears. She sobbed.

"No! Jason would never! He is the sweetest boy in the world. He's always looking after the dogs and some of our younger members." Joseph watched Anna with growing approval. The poor officer actually looked guilty for implying Jason might have tried to set her vehicle on fire. The man looked like he needed to find some way to comfort this beautiful woman. Her tears were killing him.

"Do you have a picture of the missing person?" Anna nodded and stood slowly on shaky legs. She went to walk past the officer and wobbled right into him. The man quickly stood and caught her elbow. Once Anna was steadied she smiled gratefully at him. This woman was a born actress. Anna pulled a picture from the tack board behind the man. There were people in clown suits, fancy dresses, uniforms, and other strange attire. Anna point to a man at the center dressed in renaissance style clothing. Joseph noted with great distaste that his arm was thrown casually over Cole's shoulder. "And what was his job here?"

"We have several swordsman acts, including a free style improb show and several new dances with swords. Jason was one of the fighters and dancers." The officer bit his lip and asked,

"Was there any problems with any of the other dancers? An argument maybe?" Anna shuck her head no.

"The only other dancer is Cole and Jason loved Cole." Joseph had to bite back the growl that rumbled up his throat at this. Anna shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. Anna tapped Cole's face.

"Can I speak with him?"

"Her." Anna and Joseph corrected. Anna glared at Joseph under her eyelashes before turning back to the police officer. "If it is at all possible, can you come back tomorrow and speak with her and anyone else. Cole has been through a lot. She actually just got engaged to Joseph here." Anna nodded back to Joseph. The officer glanced at Joseph, his gaze going instantly to Joseph different hair style choice. Then down to his left hand. A simple silver band was around his ring finger, the officer was pretty sure it hadn't been there before, but he nodded his understanding and offered congratulations to Joseph. Joseph nodded his thanks.

The officer stood and asked if he would be allowed to borrow the picture. Then he could do canvasing through the local bars and inns to see if maybe the man was just drunk somewhere. Anna nodded. The officer then left after taking a statement from Joseph and promising to return tomorrow night. When he left Anna glared at him. Joseph tried to look innocent.

"What?"

"Don't what me! You made yourself a suspect by growling! For heaven's sake!" Joseph shrugged it didn't mean much either way. He could always implant suspicions that the man left with a pretty waitress from the nearby town.

"I'm going to take Cole home. She said she was going to give you her RV." Now Anna looked gloomy.

"Yes, I suppose she would want to stay with you."

"Gale and Maria are cleaning out the RV as we speak. I just need to find Cole." Anna smiled and waved for Joseph to follow her. She lead him to Ben's cage where Cole was curled up under the tiger's paw and snuggled up against him. "And this isn't at all strange to you?" Anna shrugged.

"It was once, but I noticed that Cole and her siblings talked to the animals and the animals accept them. She started sleeping with Ben because he could sleep he always seemed restless and afraid. She gives him courage."

"What will happen when Cole isn't around anymore?" Anna bit her lip. Tigers were expensive to keep and Ben was too fragile to be without someone who understood him.

"I don't know. If Ben can't perform I won't be able to keep him." Joseph stared at the big cat and his lifemate.

"We will take him." Anna looked at him in surprise.

"You need special permits and all sorts of things in order to have a wild animal like Ben." Joseph nodded.

"I can get them. If you will join me at my home I can pull up proper papers."

"But these things take weeks." Joseph shrugged

"Money tends to help."

"I'll bet it does." Joseph slipped through the bars and casually approached the girl and the tiger. He reached for the tiger's mind and shared with the big cat his plans, but he needed Cole to come with him. The tiger yawned and lifted his paw off Cole. Joseph thanked him and picked up Cole and cradled her against his chest. She snuggled closer to his chest sending fire racing through him.


	25. Chapter 25

Cole woke to warmth wrapped around her and two voices chatting back and forth. She listened to the man and woman talking. Cole knew his voice and probably know it for the rest of her life, Joseph, the strange man who was her other half. The woman's voice was as very familiar, her adoptive mother Anna. They were talking about Ben and how he would be cared for, where he would live, what he would eat, and how Joseph would afford to pay for it all. Cole was thinking this was odd because Joseph wasn't going with the circus so why would all these things matter?

_Because my little warrior kitten. You love the cat and the circus won't be able keep him when you leave._

_How do you know I won't go with them?_

_Because you know our kind needs soil and you cannot risk others in your circus family knowing of our existence._

_So where will Ben go? _

_He will live with us._ Cole knew if any other person had said this she would be asking dozens of question and seriously doubting the truth of the words, but she knew Joseph was telling the truth.

_I can walk you know._

_I know._

_Let me down Joseph._ There was a bite with her words. She could feel Joseph's amusement at her words.

_No, I want to carry you. Please let me do this little thing._ It wasn't really a question, he would carry her whether she agreed or not, but the pleading in his voice made her give in. He kissed her forehead and Cole sent him an image of her strangling him. He chuckled darkly, _That's not very nice._

_I'm not a nice person. _She shot back at him. His laughter seemed to resonate into her very soul.

_You are right, you are so much more than nice. You are all that is good in this world._ Cole snorted, but she was pleased he believed so. She remembered her promise to the vampire, her ability to pull darkness around her soul like a heavy cloak. She knew she wasn't normal, the Carpathian women were supposed to be wholly of the light. Light did not allow shadows to creep close and banish all that was good for thoughts. But it was still nice to enjoy someone believing she was good.

Joseph had slipped through Cole's mind and seen her thoughts. He saw she believed she was born with something wrong with her. He had been deep in her mind when she had wrapped darkness around her. It seemed like it might smother her light, the inner light in her was strong, the strongest he had ever seen in fact. Joseph had noted her dark surface thoughts, knew she would make the vampires suffer for harming her family, but deep down she took no joy in the act. It was merely her making an example out of them.

Joseph opened the front door to his home and let Anna in. Anna looked around with wide eyes, her gazing flicking back to Joseph.

"I miss judged you." Cole snorted and squirmed trying to get out of Joseph's arms. Joseph set her down gently.

"You have no idea."

"Anna!" Sarah and Maria rushed into the room and flung themselves into Anna's arms. Anna swung them back and forth before setting both girls back on their feet. She bent down and looked as if she was inspecting both for something. Both Sarah and Maria waited until she was done, before Maria asked,

"Find what you were looking for?"

"Yep, you are both you." Sarah and Maria exchanged guilty glances and both looked towards Cole.

"So you noticed?" Maria asked her. Anna nodded solemnly, and tried to smile.

"Your sister is different, but she is still the same girl who saved my tiger. That much could never change." Anna gave Cole a reassuring smile. Cole turned to her sisters.

"You two should be in bed, you need your rest if you're going to be learning anything tomorrow." Both girls' eyes lit up, before they could ask anything Cole held up her hand to silence them. "Get dressed and ready for bed, and then I'll answer questions." Maria and Sarah bolted towards their bedrooms before could even finish her sentence. Anna laughed,

"You always did have a way with those two." Cole shrugged

"Being honest helps." At that moment the front door banged open as Gale came in carrying a box of stuff.

"I think this is the last of our stuff." Joseph walked over to him and held the door open so he could get in the house without dropping the box and all its contents in the snow. Gale heaved the box onto the couch then turned to Anna and hugged her.

"I'm glad you are alright." Anna nodded Gale did not mention Jason and Cole appreciated it. His death weighed on her like a heavy stone. Joseph sent her waves of comfort. Gale pulled keys to the RV out of his pocket and handed them to Anna. "You are still on our insurance so you're good to drive it. Consider it an early Christmas present from all of us." Anna took the keys and wiped away the tears in her eyes. She then glanced at Joseph,

"There's still the matter of Ben." Joseph nodded and waved for them to follow him down the hall. He turned into a room that had a huge oak desk. On the desk were three different computer monitors. The whole room was covered floor to ceiling in book shelves with just about every title imaginable. Mythology had entire bookshelf to itself. Cole snorted when she saw a few of the latest popular vampire books stacked up in the giant black office chair.

Joseph set the books on the floor and turned the computers. His fingers flying over the keys for several minutes. Then he pulled off a book of law from the shelf behind him. He consulted it for a long moment then went back to typing. Finally he smiled and printed off several papers. He then pulled a pen from the desk and handed it to Anna.

"You need to sign those." Anna blinked down at the stack of papers.

"What are they?"

"They are papers of adoption, saying that Cole and I are adopting the tiger Ben." Joseph pointed to a number on the page. "This is how much we will be paying for him." Anna blinked, counted, and recounted the number of zeros behind the one. There were six zeros behind it. Anna gaped like a fish for a long moment. "That is to cover any losses the circus sustains due to Ben's absences. Does that about cover it?" Anna swallowed then her gaze became shrewd.

"It does, if you can actually pay for it." Joseph shrugged.

"My uncle is a jeweler; I picked it up and made a considerable amount of money. Plus my art sells pretty well. And my computer skills are unsurpassed." Joseph pulled a check book from a filing cabinet that was hidden under the desk. He swiftly wrote the check then handed it to Anna.


	26. Chapter 26

Gale lead Anna from the room as Joseph filed some of the papers away in a safe that was hidden under the floor boards.

"Why would you do that?" Joseph looked up at Cole from his seat and smiled.

"You love that tiger, you love Anna, and the circus. I can do no other than make you happy my love."

"You and I both know you didn't need to pay that much." Joseph smiled

"I admit I always wanted to join the circus, and I was happy for the chance to perform." Cole snorted at this.

"Anna would have loved to have you as part of the act." Joseph shrugged

"But you didn't want to always travel." Cole looked down at the floor guilty.

"My sisters needed schooling, and I couldn't provide that. Gale could teach them math and sciences, me, I just told them stories, from history books, fairy tales, and the stories our grandparents and parents taught us." Cole rubbed her burning eyes. The sun was already starting to rise.

"We need to rest my love. If you stay up much longer you'll be burned."

"I have to explain to Maria and Sarah."

"Show them then, but you need to rest. There is always tomorrow night." Cole sighed and reached out to her sisters. She showed them what happened at the circus. Though she kept the extent of what had happened to Jason from them. She told them he was dead, that he had been killed. She explained that ben would come and stay with them. All throughout her explanation of the day's events her sisters and Joseph listened. Then once Cole was done they each asked questions and Cole answered each question as best as she could. Once her siblings were satisfied with her answers they drifted off to sleep. Joseph laid protections over the home and together lead Cole down into a secret room below the room she had stayed in.

Cole snorted when she saw the fancy coffins laying side by side in the center of the dirt room. Joseph chuckled and slid the coffins aside and lifted up a layer of dirt. He then floated their bodies down into the soil. Joseph slowed Cole's heart then drew the soil over them. Then he shut down his organs.

Cole woke when something stirred near her home. Her mind instantly connected to Joseph's and woke him. The foul thing that stalked their home was trying to find a way around or a weak spot in the wards. A growl rumbled up Cole's throat as she pulled Joseph closer to her.

_What is it my love?_

_A servant of the undead is here._ A hiss escaped Joseph's lips as the soil part above them. The sun had set only a few moments ago. Cole's mind slid instantly to her sisters and brother. Ben was also there. She relayed what she knew about their enemy. Her sisters went to find Ben then they moved to the upper level of the house. Cole touched the tiger's mind and told him to watch over her siblings.

Cole rushed up the stairs to the bedroom. Gale met them as they came up. Joseph closed the room up and followed them.

"Can you make the shield around the vampires one big one?" Gale nodded.

"But you run the risk of them trying to kill each other and by extension kill the hunters they are connected to." Cole shuck her head no.

"They value their lives they won't end them."

"A mage controls them, couldn't he use magic to kill each other?"

"He could, but I don't think he will because it doesn't serve him. Sure five dead warriors, but something tells me he would like to do more damage than that."

"So why would the vampire send its servant? I thought they were only used to kill, they aren't very intelligent." Cole snorted and glanced out the window and the creature that was clawing at air sending sparks flying. The creature was pale, his skin was stretched too tightly over his frame, and his eyes were sunken in. Cole watched the vile creature and turned to Joseph.

_Any thoughts on what the Ghoul is after?_

_No, but I think there is a way to find out._ Joseph flooded Cole's mind with his plan. Cole waited patiently as all the information passed through her. She liked the idea. She reached for Maria.

_I need you to go to the window._

_Alright I'm here._

_Can you see the ghoul?_

_Yes._

_Make an image of all of us send each of us in separate directions. Make sure you don't send it towards the human population._

_Got it. _Cole glanced out the window. There was a version of her, Joseph, Gale, Maria, and Sarah. Each version ran towards the forest in different directions. The ghoul saw them and gave chase. As the illusions got farther apart it became more obvious which one the ghoul was chasing. Gale.

_He's trying to free his masters from prison. Maria kill the illusions._ Cole watched with great satisfaction as the images of her and her family blurred and faded into nothing like mirages. The ghoul howled his rage and fury. Cole willed her knives and swords to her before turning to Joseph. _Shall we?_

_I think we shall._ Together the two of them blurred out of the house. Joseph kicked up the snow to make a thick mist to impair the creature's sight. Cole cut open her palms and spread the blood throughout the snow storm.

_Go from behind. I'll keep him distracted._

_Like that?_ Cole looked down at her cloak, tunic, pants, and boots.

_What's wrong with it? _Joseph sighed

_It's not very seductive._

_You want me to seduce him? _A growl rumbled up his throat.

_No, but I do need to draw out the vampire. I feel it, but I can't pin point it._ Cole let her senses flare out. Now that Joseph mentioned it there was that foul feeling like something had just died.

_You think the vampire will stop him?_

_Yes._

_Alright let's see what you have in mind. _Cole looked down to find she was clothed in a long icy blue dress. The dress was a beautiful work of art. Delicate lace sleeves trimmed with sapphires. The neck line plunged down towards her breasts but didn't reveal anything. The dress trailed behind her like an elegant cape. Her cloak was replaced with a dark brown one made of soft furs. Cole gently touched the beautiful thing before hissing at Joseph.

_This is sacrilegious to even be wearing something this valuable in a fight._

_Do not fret love, I can make more._

_More! This thing has sapphires in it!_

_And they look very lovely on you._ Cole sent him the image of her strangling him with the string of gemstones. Joseph chuckled then let the snow settle. _Now steal the stage my love._ Cole sent him a quick mental image of her middle finger before turning towards the mindless creature that stalked her family.

"What a pitiful creature you are." Cole clicked her tongue in disapproval and looked down her nose at the ghoul as it prowled closer. She was the image of haughty royalty. The only thing missing-.

_I never miss anything._ Cole threw back the hood of her cloak and knew there was a silver tiara sitting regally upon her head.

"You are such a disgrace to the one who made." Cole glanced around completely ignoring the ghoul. "That one is man of power. I've been looking for a man such as he, unless of course he already has a woman be his side." Cole tried hard not to laugh when Joseph hiss brushed through her mind. The ground opened up a few feet in front of her and a man stepped out. The illusion he wore gave him youth and good looks. Cole let her eyes travel up and down him suggestively. Cole almost gasped when she realized he was very young. The youngest she had ever come across yet.

"I do not have a woman by my side." Than man answered in a slightly accented voice, the very sound of his voice made Cole want to tear his tongue out so she wouldn't have to hear the grating sound. He sauntered to Cole and bowed. "Such a beautiful lady. I think you will do to be my lifemate." Cole fought to keep from puking as the man reached out to touch her.

"I am honored one such as you would chose me." The words were forced out as the vampire took her hand. Her skin burned at his touch, but it was all she needed as she watched Joseph quickly dispatch the ghoul. "Too bad I am already someone's lifemate." She gripped the vampire around his neck with her gift. He clawed at his throat. "So I realize vampires like Carpathians don't actually need air. But what happens if I stop the blood from flowing in your veins?" The vampire gasped and desperately clawed at his throat ripping huge gauges into the soft flesh. Cole watched impassively as his tainted blood spewed across the snow. Then the vampire's body jerked forward and fell to the ground to reveal Joseph holding the shriveled heart. Cole quickly gathered energy in the sky and called down lightning to the purge the organ and body from existence.

Joseph walked up to Cole and pulled her into a tight embrace. He kissed her passionately demanding the same in return. Cole hooked a leg around his waist to keep from falling over and kissed him back.

_I take it you didn't like the performance?_

_You are gorgeous, but I'm glad he is dead. I should have prolonged his death for the crime of hurting you._ Cole chuckled darkly

_If you didn't I was just going to rip his body apart._

_You can do that?_ Cole shrugged

_I have no idea, I'll have to try it out next time._


	27. Chapter 27

Gale stirred in the back of Cole's mind.

_Something's coming Cole._ Cole let her senses flare out, but she couldn't pin down what her brother had felt. Joseph was there beside her in her mind. He examined what Gale had felt for only a moment before he laughed.

_No worries, they are friends._

_They?_ Joseph could taste Cole's fear. She had only briefly sensed one presence and it was a power to be reckoned with. Two of anything that powerful was a truly frightening thing to conceive.

_Yes._ A young woman materialized in front of them. She wore a fur cloak with the hood thrown over her head. The cloak seemed alive and rippled with the slightest movement she made. A long thick braid of blond hair reached all the way down to her waist. Under the cloak Cole could make out a sleeveless vest that stopped just above the end of her narrow rib cage. Her pants were long and black, but were tucked neatly into her boots. Cole noticed she had a crossbow slung over her shoulders and swords were sheathed at her waist.

_A woman after my own heart._ Joseph growled at this.

_The only one who has your heart is me._ Cole chuckled at his feigned jealousy.

_What about my family?_ Joseph refused to answer this.

"Good to see you Skyler." Joseph bowed deeply, the girl however merely rolled her eyes. Joseph glanced around, "Are you so angry with me for not telling you about my lifemate that you would sick your lifemate on me?" Cole went rigid at this and moved closer to Joseph and positioned her body defensively. Her weapons slid a scant few inches from their sheathes readying to fly forward. Her senbon however she slid out and asked Maria to hide them as she felt around for the other one. Then she felt it, a shiver when her mind passed over an owl that was perched a few feet behind them in a tree.

Skyler's gaze traveled over Cole's face and took in her clothes. Cole suddenly felt very ridiculous in the lacey gown. A growl came in her mind.

_You are beautiful in whatever you wear. Besides Skyler would never judge you for what you wear._ The girl smiled at them.

"I don't know Joseph, I think you are giving me a little too much credit." Cole recognized the girl's voice. She had been the one to save her from freezing to death.

_She won't actually have her lifemate attack you._

_Not hurt me, but he might swipe at me, though honestly I expect any real retaliation to come from her._

_What is she capable of?_

_A lot._ Joseph sent her everything he knew about Skyler's ability to fight. She was a mage, a child of mother earth, she is a Guardian of all, she could use all the weapons she had, and was trained with some of the best hunters of Carpathian people. Cole found instead of being intimidated she was impressed. There was something about this girl she liked. Joseph caught that thought and snorted mentally. _Probably because you and her have similar polices on revenge. _

_That would do it. Now can I have my real clothes back? _

"Would I do that?"

"Yep." She responded instantly and flatly, but Cole could see the amusement dancing in the other girl's eyes. The owl shifted on its perch as if it was going to start to take off. Cole sent Joseph her idea.

_Don't hurt him._

_I didn't intend to._ The bird took off silently a dived straight for Joseph's blue black hair. The bird screeched in surprise then landed in the snow as a man. Two of senbon needles had been bent into a half circle and had wrapped around the birds wing. Then Cole simply forced them down pinning the stunned Carpathian to the ground like a bug. Cole stood up straight and stepped slightly away from Joseph. She inclined her head to Skyler.

"I appreciate you saving me from the freezing cold, but I couldn't let your lifemate attack mine," she turned to Joseph and smiled mischievously. "Whether he deserved it or not."

"Hey!" Energy stirred through the trees like a wave building. Then the tree Joseph stood below came alive and dumped all the snow that was weighing its limbs down on top of him. Cole laughed as the snow buried her lifemate all the way to his neck. She called her senbon back to her and glanced at Skyler.

"I think you're missing the carrot nose and stick arms." Joseph snorted and sent the snow swirling around Cole. When it settled back on the ground she was dressed in her normal clothes. Skyler's eyes traveled up and down Cole appreciatively.

"Looks we have similar tastes." Cole nodded and bowed slightly.

"Though you are a bit braver than I am, I prefer to have my stomach covered." Skyler nodded as the hunter materialized by her side. She glanced at him with a loving smile and leaned into him before turning back to Cole.

"I could understand that, how did you get that scar." Cole watched her warily for a long moment before she replied,

"My own foolishness and grief met a vampire for the first time." The girl winced and for the first time Cole noticed Skyler had scars crisscrossing all over her body, and most of them looked like chains had been burned into her flesh. "Looks like you have your own scars." Skyler nodded. Cole reached out to Sarah and showed her Skyler's scars. Sarah looked at them and asked,

_Can you move closer?_ Cole cautiously approached the couple, making her movements slow. "How did you come to have your scars?" Dimitri looked guiltily at Skyler. She grabbed his arm and pressed closer to him.

"Dimitri was taken by the Lycans. They sentenced him to death by silver, but Joseph, Paul, and I were able to save him. I then took the scars from him." Cole blinked at this, she then looked closer to at Dimitri. Now she could see the almost invisible marks that twined around his body and mirrored the ones on Skyler's body. Cole knew from her grandmother that scars were rare on Carpathian bodies unless the wounds had been severe.

_The metal would have had to been superheated in order to cause that kind of damage Cole._

_Could you heal it?_

_I could make them almost invisible, but those will never completely go away. I would like to help her Cole._

_I know princess. _To Skyler she said, "My sister would like to know if you would like to know if she could try to heal them." Dimitri and Skyler exchanged brief glances of surprise. "She says she couldn't make the go away completely, but she could fade them to be very hard to see." Instead of answering instantly Skyler bit her lip and thought about her answer before speaking.

"Would you remove your scar if you could?" Cole straightened her shoulders.

"Not completely. But it would be nice if I could make it fade so it wasn't so in your face. People are always appalled that such an injury was even possible."

"What did you tell people?" Cole snorted and laughed at the memory that popped up. Jason had caught a glimpse of the scar when she had been pulling off her sweater and her shirt had come up with it. He had been shocked at the angry red scar that spanned like a thick belt from just above her hips to her legs.

"I told people that it was a car accident, metal shredded my waist." Jason hadn't believed a word of it. Something about the way the scar looked had bothered him. He had even gone so far as to pester Anna about it. A sudden stab of guilt wrenched through her. Cole felt Joseph send her waves of warmth and comfort.

_It was not your fault my love._

_No, but he might have been saved if I had paid more attention. _Cole returned her attention back to Skyler. An odor suddenly tickled her nose. Cole sniffed the air and realized it was coming from Skyler and Dimitri's weapons. Cole focused on a dagger that hung on one of the many belt loops in Skyler's pants. The weapon in question was ripped free and flew at Cole. Dimitri and Skyler reacted defensively and Cole ducked as the weapon arrowed to her face. The dagger stopped just in front of where Cole stood and just hovered there. Cole looked at Skyler and Dimitri like she was thought one of them had thrown it. Joseph however stood there just snickering.

"Love, if you wanted to see Skyler's weapons you could have just asked." Cole stared at the knife still dangling in the air. Shock and fear slithered through Cole.

"I didn't do that." Cole looked from the knife to Skyler then to Joseph. "I can't unless I touch the item." Joseph plucked the knife out of the air and handed it back to Skyler.

"Your psychic abilities have grown love." Cole blinked at him, not fully comprehending what he was saying.

"You're serious? I don't have to touch anything anymore?" Joseph nodded. Cole turned to Skyler and Dimitri. "I am so sorry. I wasn't aware I could do that. I just wanted to know what your weapons were coated with." Skyler smiled gently.

"It's alright. And the stuff on my weapons helps keep vampire's acidic blood from eating away at the metal." Cole's eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

"Are you serious? That's possible?" Skyler nodded. "Damn. You have no idea the small fortune I've paid constantly replacing weapons." Cole felt Gale dig through her memories of and senses when she had held the weapon. She could feel his the gears in his mind turning and dissecting what her memories told him about the drug. After a long moment of thought he said,

_I can replicate it. It will take a day or two, but-._ Something on his end of the link distracted him. It sounded like a doorbell. Gale opened the door and greeted a man. Cole slipped easily into her brother's mind to see who he was conversing with. The man was young, wore a neat police uniform and looked awed by the house as Gale invited him in.

"There is a police officer at our home." Dimitri looked concerned by this. He exchanged a quick glance with Skyler, who merely shrugged

"Oh right, I forgot about that, you need to give your statement to the police about Jason." A hard knot formed in the pit of Cole's stomach at the mention of Jason.

"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?"

"As I said I forgot." Cole snorted at that then turned back to Skyler and Dimitri. She inclined her head to them.

"Thank you for saving me earlier, I'm sorry for the trouble I undoubtedly caused, but it seems someone." Cole shot Joseph a withering look. "forgot to mention the police were coming."

"Is something wrong?" Dimitri inquired.

"A vampire attacked my human family and there was one casualty. So it seems we have to fill out a missing persons re-."

"Oh Skyler you should come with, there is something Cole and I want to discuss with you and your aunts."

_A, that was rude. B, what are you talking about?_

_The healing school. _Cole blinked in surprise.

_You were listening?_

_Always my love._

_Huh, I'll have to remember that._ Cole turned her attention back to Skyler and Dimitri who also seemed to be having a mental conversation. When they were done Skyler nodded,

"Alright." 


	28. Chapter 28

Officer James Denton swallowed hard as the two women entered the home and tried not to spill the tea Maria had made. The second youngest sister and her older brother had answered questions and promised that their sister would return shortly. James had to admit the photograph hadn't done her justice. She was gorgeous. Both women looked like they had stepped out of fairy tale of ancient forests and magic. Each was clothed in thick riding pants and each had a furred cloak draped over their shoulders. Their differences lied in shirts. The one he was here to speak with, Cole, had a long white blouse. The other girl wore a dark corset with silver embellishments that stopped just above her midriff. Cole glided into the chair in front of him. She smiled in greeting, but it was a sad smile. Then his heart nearly stopped as two men came in behind the women.

The first man was intimidating; he was easily taller than James was. The man was muscled and had a look of a wild man. He was dressed in leather and warm fur lined coat that draped down his broad shoulders. James could make out faint scars twining around exposed skin. The other man he had met before. His black hair was spiked and the tips dyed blue. Physically he wasn't as frightening as the other man, but there was a glint in his eyes that unnerved the officer. Whatever he lacked in muscle he no doubt made up for it in spades other ways.

"So, what can you tell me about Jason?" He winced when tears suddenly shown in the girl's eyes. She collected her thoughts before taking a deep breath and answering,

"Jason was a good man, one of the few who knew I was a girl." The officer nodded.

"Why exactly were you disguised as a man?" Cole sniffed.

"My sibling and I lost our parents and grandparents four years ago. As the oldest I needed to protect my siblings and a simple fact is, people respect and fear women less than men. So I disguised myself as a man to ensure I was able to protect and provide for my siblings." The officer nodded. He hated the truth of her words but that didn't change anything.

"Did Jason have any problems with anyone?" Cole shuck her head no.

"No, Jason got along well with everyone." James shot a quick glance at Joseph as the man took up vigil behind Cole. A young girl came bounding into the kitchen. Her hair was long and golden and bright blue watched James with curiosity. There was an obvious resemblance to Cole, but she lacked the same ethereal beauty her older sister and the other girl had. She then looked at the other girl and asked,

"Skyler would you come with me?" Skyler glanced at the other man who shrugged. She then shot Joseph a questioning glance and he nodded. Skyler smiled warmly at the girl and followed her out of the kitchen with the other man following silently behind them. James let out a pent up breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. The other man unnerved him. James cleared his throat and began again.

"In the picture your adoptive mother showed me it seemed you two were very close." He watched as the girl swallowed hard. Joseph paced like a wolf waiting for him to make a wrong move and give him reason to pounce. "Is it possible he was upset about your engagement?" Instantly James regretted the question. Cole looked absolutely horrified at the thought. Her grief was palpable. Joseph moved closer and put a hand on her back, gently massaging her back and neck. His posture was possessive and very protective of Cole. He looked like he wanted to rip James' throat out. His glare was warning enough.

"Jason was hardly jealous, and neither was Joseph, besides I had only just told Anna, I was going to tell Jason that night." Joseph glared at the officer and the officer's chair made an odd creaking sound like it was about to break. Cole reached behind laid her hand over Joseph's and squeezed lightly. The boy winced and smiled as if sharing some private joke. Cole however looked something between horrified and annoyed.

"Is it possible he overheard you speaking with Anna?" She shuck her head no sending her braid bouncing back and forth and catching the light. James realized she was even more beautiful with the striking red color streaked through her golden hair.

"I don't think so; I certainly didn't see or hear him." James rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Is it possible he might have gone and spent time with a woman here in town and lost track of time?" Cole's expression was suddenly thoughtful, but sorrow remained entrenched behind her beautiful eyes.

"He never mentioned meeting a woman, but it is possible. Though normally when anyone goes into town they give Anna a heads up, and call in when they plan to stay longer."

"I think that is all then. I have any more questions-." James rose.

"I will be here, just call ahead." Cole also rose. She took a small notepad from one of the drawers and swiftly wrote the number down. She handed it to him and then escorted him to the door. When James stepped out into the snow he let out a sigh of relief. He had felt like he had been torturing a woman who had just lost her friend. Then he thought about the man Joseph. Joseph frightened him; while he lacked the more bulky muscle of the other man he still had an air of predator. The way he had paced behind his fiancé and reacted possessively and protectively, it reminded him of a caged wild animal.

"Maybe I should look into him." James mused a loud. A rumbling growl made James whirl around and glance at the shadows. When he saw nothing he hurried to his car and quickly left the house behind.


	29. Chapter 29

Cole turned and smacked Joseph's stomach the instant Officer James stepped into his car. Joseph laughed and grunted in pain.

"What was that for?" he asked still holding his stomach, but his eyes were shining with laughter. Cole rounded on him poking him in the chest.

"You know exactly what! You nearly dumped that poor man on to the floor." Now Joseph laughed out right at Cole's indigent face.

"He's not poor, he didn't have very good thoughts about you or Skyler." A growl came from somewhere in the house. Dimitri. Cole snorted at them.

"He was doing his job, and you nearly ruined it!"

"How did I nearly ruin it?" His male amusement was starting to grate at Cole's already fried nerves.

"It's very hard to convince someone you are grieving when you are laughing." Joseph cocked his head to the side.

"You seemed convincing to me." Cole pinched him viciously. He jump away from her and yelped.

_Serves you right._

_I heard that._

_Then that should teach you better._ Cole turned and followed the scent of Skyler and Dimitri. She found them in Sarah's bedroom. Dimitri stood just inside the door and off the side. Skyler and Sarah both sat on Sarah's bed facing each other. Tessa had her hands inches from Skyler. A warm light spread from her palms and went into the older girl. Cole stood beside Dimitri and just watched. She could see the awe on his face and it made her beam with pride.

"She is amazing."

"All of my family is gifted, but Sarah's gift shines above all others."

"How long has she been able to do this?" Cole thought about it. Normally she guarded information about her family, especially her two sisters, but she had the feeling she could trust Dimitri and Skyler.

"The ability has been with since before she was born." Dimitri swung his gaze fully on Cole and she met it.

"How could you know that?" Cole shrugged.

"My family, or my siblings and I have always been strange. We have been connected for as long as each of us existed. I asked my parents and grandparents about it, but either they didn't believe me or just didn't believe it was possible. But me and Gale knew when my mom was pregnant before she did. And with each sibling we conversed with them and comforted them. It's probably why we are so close, because we were never truly apart." Dimitri nodded

"Your family reminds me of a wolf pack. Your brother came into to watch me for a while." Cole reached for Gale at this and asked him about this.

_Yes and no, I was watching him, but mostly I was curious about what they are. It's obvious they are part Carpathian, but they are something else. They don't give off energy like they should._

_You didn't ask him anything rude Gale? _She made it a warning and a threat. She would not have her brother being rude to a guest.

_No. I wasn't brave enough to ask him anything._ Cole snorted.

"He says he wasn't really worried you would hurt our sister, he is more curious as to your origins. You do feel different from normal Carpathian, but no less good." Dimitri eyed her for a moment while he seemed to debate with himself.

"I am Carpathian, but I mixed my blood with Lycan blood and have since become something stronger than either." Cole blinked and automatically shared the information with her siblings.

"Well that explains why you don't give off energy." Dimitri's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You know about Lycans?" Cole shrugged and shuck her head.

"I know very basic things about them and very little. I was hoping to learn more about them and the two races I come from." Cole thought about Maria and asked, "Do you know if there are any pureblood Jaguar people that were converted?" Dimitri nodded

"There are a few actually." His eyes were suddenly wary. "Why do you ask?"

"My siblings and I are two thirds Jaguar, but only one of us can actually shift. I would like to find out what I can about their conversions and if there is any way to help my sister if and when such a thing is needed. Would you be able to point out the women?" Dimitri nodded.

"The council is still not for a few more days, but I can point out those who might be able to answer your questions." Cole nodded her thanks as Joseph stepped back throwing an arm around her shoulder. He sent waves of comfort to her to help ease the fear hovering just below the surface. Their attention went back to Skyler and Sarah as the light faded. Even with Cole's vision so enhanced she had trouble making out the thin lines that ran all over her body. Skyler looked up at Dimitri and smiled. Skyler turned back to Sarah and said,

"You are amazing." Sarah nodded.

"Cole tells me that all the time, and like you she means it." Cole couldn't keep the smile off her face. Skyler glanced at Cole.

"It must be nice to have so many siblings." Cole was able to keep a straight face, but Sarah made a sour face.

"Sometimes, but most of the time they keep things from me. I know they just want to protect me, but I'm a big girl. I have as much right to know what's going on as everyone else. I killed a vampire too." The silence that fell after this declaration was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Skyler blinked at this child and Dimitri swung on Cole. Cole didn't flinch from his gaze.

"You would allow a child to battle a vampire?" Cole snorted

"Allow." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Interesting way to phrase it." Cole swung her gaze towards Skyler. "Do you 'allow' your lifemate to fight?"

"That's different and you know it." He snapped. Cole shrugged,

"How do you know? All my sister said is that she killed a vampire. She never said I set her against one." Dimitri watched her silently. "Yes, she did kill a vampire. Maria has also, so has Gale. But that was because we were ambushed and if they wanted to survive they had to fight."

"Why didn't you protect your sister." Power flooded the room and Sarah turned her worried look to her sister. Stuff in the room started to shiver and move slowly towards Dimitri.

"How dare you accuse me of not protecting my sister." Sarah was standing beside Cole, her hand on her older sister's arm.

"Cole, don't." Joseph and Sarah flooded her mind drawing her away from the cliff of anger. "He didn't mean it. He had no idea what happened. Please don't be angry." Cole stared into her sister big blue eyes and breathed a sigh. She took a deep breath and let her mind drift into the safety of Joseph's. She waited for the anger to subside.

"No one is perfect. No one can think of everything. That is why it is best to be prepared for the worst. Which if most of your kind had their way, I might not have been born much less would me or my sisters to defend their selves."


	30. Chapter 30

Skyler gave Dimitri a very amused and pointed smile.

"I apologize for my behavior, and you are right. I certainly have no room to talk after what happened to Skyler." Cole held the other man gaze assessing him for a moment.

"I doubt your lifemate holds you in such disregard. Somehow I doubt there is anything you could have done to change the past. The only question is are you better for it?"

"Yes, I believe I am."

"Good, then be useful. Teach anyone willing to learn. Both you and Skyler are brilliant fighters. By teaching the younger generations you are arming them with the tools to help them survive." Skyler stirred uneasily at the thought of this. Cole turned to face her. "Start out with girls if you are unsure about teaching the young men. Teach me." Skyler's eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

"What could I teach you?"

"You can use magic, I cannot, you are skilled with a crossbow, I'm not. I noticed both you and Dimitri carry silver weapons. I assume there is a reason for it and special way to fight with them." Joseph's approval seeped into her mind and made her smile, but Cole kept her eyes on Skyler. She wanted this to be the other girl's choice. Skyler was silent for a moment, probably talking with Dimitri. Finally she looked Cole squarely in the eyes.

"We would be honored." Cole made a slight bow.

"It is I who is honored, I must warn you though. When you teach one of my family it is no different than when you teach all of us." Skyler smiled at this.

"I know. I like your sisters, I do not want to see them hurt especially if I could have prevented it by teaching her vital information."

So the agreement was struck. Cole and Joseph worked with Skyler and Dimitri for the rest of the night. The first part was just basic information on each race, the best ways to fight them, and how to sense them. Next came basic sword play. Along with that, Skyler explained about the compound that coated most of her weapons, and who made them. Cole asked if Ivory and Razvan would be willing to apprentice her brother. She knew Gale had the potential to be a brilliant chemist if he got the right teachers. Skyler wasn't sure, her father and his lifemate were very reclusive, but she would ask.

The next night, not only did Ivory and Razvan show up, but so did both of Skyler's aunts and their lifemates. Skyler's aunts were instantly in love with little Sarah. Even their lifemates showed almost open adoration for her. When Ivory and Razvan entered the house Gale thanked them both profusely. Ivory requested to see his work and he nodded heading out to the garage where Joseph had let him set up a small laboratory.

Maria joined in Cole and Joseph's lessons. She learned how to handle a sword and better ways to fight in her jaguar form. Cole and Joseph learned to fight together using each other's sight. They made smooth transformations and were steadily getting faster. The older Carpathians were very interested in Cole and her sibling's ability to tap each other's psychic ability. When asked about it Cole would merely shrug and say,

"We just can, we always have been able to and it's helped us survive so I never questioned it." Finally the call for warriors to assemble at the Warrior's Cavern went out.


	31. Chapter 31

Joseph knew Cole heard the call same moment he did. He felt as she connected to her siblings telling them it was time. Maria and Sarah were in their rooms half asleep.

_It's time to go girls._ Cole said over their shared link. Maria yawned and nodded. Sarah was suddenly wide awake and Joseph could hear her bounce out of bed from the kitchen. Cole laughed and turned her mind towards her brother. He was in the garage tinkering with the many chemicals and plants. _Gale it's time to go._

_I know, just let me finish this._ Cole slipped into his surface thoughts and was nearly knocked over with the amount of information that hit her. Equations, elements, potential reactions, and possible solutions all bombarded Cole's mind. Joseph was instantly steadying her through the stream of information.

_Gale!_ Joseph shouted it over the link through Cole. He didn't want her overwhelmed by her brothers thought process. Gale jerked away from his work completely startled. Joseph might have laughed if he wasn't still worried about Cole.

_What?_ His confusion very apparent.

_Time to go. _Cole said gently trying to keep her voice calm.

_Oh, okay._ He hung up his lab coat and quickly walked back into the house. Gale grabbed his long coat and strapped on a belt with a silver short sword and several daggers to his waist. Then Sarah and Maria came racing down the stairs. Both girls were dressed in their fur lined coats he had gotten for them, snow boots, long pants, and blouses. It had been such a small thing, but the look on the girl's face and Cole's had certainly made it all the more worthwhile. He felt Cole's trepidation. She was going to be bringing these two girls into a room full of men who would look at them as potential mates, nothing more. It made her very nervous and angry. Joseph sent her reassurance.

_We will not allow harm to come to them. Besides your sisters are stronger than anyone would suspect. Don't count them out yet. _Cole nodded and pulled on coat and strapped on all her weapons. He rolled his eyes at her as she took almost her entire arsenal and slipped the weapons in every hiding place she could comfortably fit them and still move with ease.

"Let's go." They walked out the door to find Skyler and Dimitri standing outside. Tatijana and her lifemate Fenris and Branislava and her lifemate Zev were behind their niece and her lifemate. Cole inclined her head to the men and clasped Skyler's forearm. "Thank you for coming sister." Skyler nodded and smiled. Together the group made their way to the cavern.

Cole and Joseph automatically adjusted their body temperature. Joseph felt Gale shift his barrier around the prisoners somewhere far away. Then he wrapped a barrier around himself and both of their sisters. They descended down into the cavern where several people were already gathered. Joseph saw Mikhail at the back of the chamber. He waved for them to join him. Cole lead their family to the back of the chamber and tried to ignore the looks and whispers of some of the men. Joseph and Gale walked behind the three sisters. Both of them openly glaring at anyone who dared speak, move, or some much as look threatening at their girls. Sarah tugged on Joseph's shirt to get his attention.

_You said the men value women and children, so why are they glaring at us?_ Joseph felt as if a small knife was twisted in his heart. How did he explain this? _By telling the truth._ was the young girl's response. Joseph blinked at her and turned to Cole who merely smiled and sent her encouragement.

_They do value you princess. But they are stuffy old men that are very set in their ways. They don't think some who is so good like you or your sister should be fighters._

_Well that's silly. Bad things happen to everyone. Bad people look for weak and easy targets, so I have to be strong because everyone looks at me like I am weak._ It was stated so matter-of-factly, that most of all bothered Joseph. An eight year old girl recognized what some of these men who had lived hundreds of years didn't.

_I promise little princess you and your sisters will show them. You will make them take notice and give you the respect you deserve._ Sarah's eyes were curious about this. Joseph and Cole hadn't explained the full plan to their sisters. They had given Mikhail a heads up that they would share their plan here. Cole had spent the last few hours breaking down the finer details of the plan with Ivory, Tatijana, and Branislava. They had been discussing the mage that held the hunters and what they could expect from him. The two Dragonseeker sisters had been adamant that they go. Which also meant their lifemates would need to go. Cole had been incredibly wary of taking so many, but they finally devised a plan that could work. Now they just need the assistance of one more hunter.

_What do you have planned? _Joseph winked at her and put a finger to his lips.

_It's a surprise, but I promise you will know when it happens._ Sarah narrowed her eyes and Joseph saw it in her mind to stomp her foot and demand he treat her like an adult. Cole's laughter stopped her sister potential tirade.

_Sarah._ Sarah turned meekly to her sister who was watching her sister with raised eyebrows and a smile pulling at her lips. _Stamping your foot and throwing a fit is not the behavior of an adult, besides Joseph promised you will know when the time comes. Can you wait a little bit? _Sarah let out a deep huffing sigh before replying grudgingly,

_Okay. _Joseph smiled and turned his head to see a couple walk into the main cavern. Joseph pointed them out to Cole.

_That is Solange and Dominic. If anyone can answer your questions on Jaguar people converting to Carpathian it would be her and her family._ Joseph firmly settled in Cole's mind and watched as she broke down the pair. She noted the scars that seemed to be etched over most of their bodies. Both were fighters. She noted Dominic's eyes the way they seemed to change color.

_He is Dragonseeker too._ Joseph nodded and couldn't keep the pride from spilling over into her mind. He noticed the smile that tugged on her lips before she turned back to them. Cole noticed there were burns on Solange's fingers and hands. _You said she was pure Jaguar?_

_Yes._

_Do you know if she fought vampires?_

_I assume she did, but I can't be sure._ Cole nodded and pointed out the burns on her hands. They had to have been severe for them to have not healed completely during the conversation, unless they had been old scars.

_I think she developed a way to burn a vampire's heart using chemicals. Something might have happened when she was making the weapon or using it._ Joseph looked closely at the wounds he might not have noticed them because they were so slight. Mikhail cleared his throat as the last of the hunters arrived. Joseph felt a slight twinge of self-consciousness. All of these men here were veteran hunters and he had done nothing to be here. Cole's attention snapped toward and growl echoed through their link. _You have as much right to be here as any of them. I was in your mind and saw what you, Skyler, and Paul achieved. Something none of them could have down much less at such a young age. You came up with our plan._ A smile touched Joseph's lips. This was his gift, he wasn't quite sure what he had done to deserve her, but whatever it was he was happy he did it. Cole raised her eyebrows at him and moved closer to his side to take his hand. The slight contact made his skin tingle and his desire for her rushed to the forefront of his mind. Cole watched the reaction with open feminine amusement. _Pay attention._

"Brothers and sisters, I have grave news." All of the hunters turned to Mikhail. "As many of your now know the high mage was not alone in his crimes. He had not one but two identical brothers. One of whom still lives." Muttering rippled through the crowd and Joseph noticed a few hunters that were eyeing Cole and her sisters. Joseph hissed in their directions. One sneered at him before turning back to Mikhail. "Many of you have met with our five prisoners. A few asked why we are holding them instead of killing them. We have found that each of them is connected to a hunter who still holds his honor." Gasps and fear and anger went through the hunters. Some shifted nervously. "But we do now have a way to identify those who are under disguise." Mikhail turned to look at Cole and Joseph stepped forward.

"My lifemate's younger sister is able to see through the illusion to the actual person underneath." Joseph was about to turn to Maria when the one who sneered at him spoke.

"This is a meeting of warriors. Why are their children who aren't even Carpathian present?" This was what they had expected. Joseph could feel Mikhail's eyes go straight to Cole probably afraid she would lash out in anger. He admitted that Cole was tempted to, but she also recognized the need to change the older hunters. Many of whom were nodding in agreement with the hunter who had spoken. Joseph smiled at the hunter.

"These children as you call them have as much a right to be here as any of you." That got anger mutters and some even advanced a step toward Joseph. Cole tensed beside him her mind instantly touching her weapons and the special weapon Gale had made for her. "Let me explain, each one of these, children as you have named them have had to at some point in their life destroy a vampire, without the help of a Carpathian or a Carpathian's abilities." Shocked silence greeted this. "The youngest was six when she was forced to defend herself from a vampire. The next was eight, the older two were both seventeen when they faced a vampire. Now how is that possible you may wonder. Well it goes back to your earlier comment about them not being Carpathian. They are all part Carpathian." The hunter seemed to collect himself over the shock.

"Why weren't they protected they are the future of our race?" Now Cole snorted. This was an old argument, one that had lost all creditability with her a long time ago. Now Cole stepped forward.

"My family was murdered by vampires, we were left by your people to defend ourselves and we've done a pretty fine job of it without being protected." The man was about to same something further, but Cole deliberately looked around the room at several other hunters. "I wonder how such an old race can be so damn foolish?" Now many even lifemated pairs seemed angry, but Cole continued, "You seem to think that because your women are of the light or because they are pretty and valuable that they are also fragile and useless. And yet I look around this room and see almost all of you carrying silver weapons not unlike the one I carry. Last I check silver was used in fashioning jewelry and pretty things." She let that sink in a little before continuing again. "Why on earth would you deliberately handicap your own race? By not teaching your women to fight you condemn them to die at the hands of your enemy." Some of the women in the room shifted uneasily. Not liking where this was going.

"Some of you may mistake what I'm saying. I do not think all of your women should actively be hunting vampires, but neither should all of your men. What I am saying is when all of you men leave to go off and fight vampires, what happens when a vampire gets around you or you are overwhelmed like my family was? They will then set their sights on the easy targets you have made out of your lifemates and children. My family was taught to fight and taught young. We survived only because of that."

"Now if you are done trying to throw your weight around and command the helpless children that you have named my family, I would like to save my fellow hunters." Joseph was beaming with pride at Cole. She had managed to keep her anger in check and delivered a very compelling argument that he could see that many of the hunters were deeply considering her arguments. They were a little unsettled by her swearing at them, but they weren't stupid either. Joseph turned to Maria and waved for her to come up beside them. Cole knelt down in front of her sister and said,

_I need you to tell them what you told me. If you do not want to I can do it for you._

_I will do it._ Maria replied firmly, but her hands trembled ever so slightly. Joseph and Cole sent her reassurance and stood close to her.

"The illusion created by the mage acts similarly to the lifemate bond. Similar, but not the same. The hunter acts like the light and a veil to the vampire. The vampire is then able to conceal his identity and projected the hunter in all ways. I think other than myself only the true lifemate of the said hunter would recognize the differences. I have found that anyone who has a lifemate that they are bonded to will be safe from this particular spell. So we have devised a way for those of you who are at risk to see what I see. Normally that would mean sharing a link with all of you." There were mutters at this many of the mated males edged protectively closer to Maria. "But as that is not practical I can simply share a link with the prince and he can then connect to all of you through his position as the prince." All eyes turned to Mikhail and he shuck his head no.

"I will not take from a child, much less one who is not fully Carpathian." Maria shrugged.

"I was not saying me." Cole stepped toward Mikhail and offered her arm.

"Take what is freely given brother, so we can protect the warriors." Joseph suddenly had to reign in the monster that lifted its head inside him. It growled and raged that his lifemate who tend to another. Joseph ruthlessly pushed these thoughts away. His people need this. Cole lashed her wrist open with a nail and Mikhail drank just enough for a connection before sealing the wound. Cole stepped back a reached as Mikhail was in her mind then she connected to Maria.

Joseph like Cole and Maria were nearly knocked over by the sheer vastness of Mikhail's power he touched each individual Carpathian. Whether they were present or half way around the world it didn't seem to matter. Voices upon voices rang out some so old that Joseph didn't understand them. He held his lifemate and sister through the whirling storm of voices until it stopped.

Maria held up her hands and projected the image of the vampire wearing the hunter Daniel's form.

"When you come across anyone simply look for a slight haze around them. That means there is an illusion." The she mentally grabbed the top of the haze and peeled it back like she might an orange peel. "Then you simply pull back the illusion." Instead of Daniel there was now the gaunt figure of a vampire. Skin stretched over bones, rotten teeth, and parasites wriggling around under his skin. "Like the lifemate bond if you kill one you kill the other. So try to restrain them. Also damage you do to one will be mirrored on the other." Cole put a hand on Maria and smiled at her little sister.

_I am proud of you kitten, that was very brave._

"Does the mage have access to the minds of the hunters?" Maria and Cole turned in surprise to the male that spoke. Joseph recognized Gary almost instantly. Maria nodded.

"He will have access to some of the mind, not all of it. It depends on the hunters strength and his willpower, but if left too long he will gain full access." Maria turned to Ivory, Tatijana, and Branislava. Joseph knew they shared much of their knowledge on the mages with Cole and Maria when they were dissecting how the spell worked. They had admittedly censored a lot of the details, but Maria seemed okay with that. She had seen enough horrors to last her a lifetime. Joseph stepped forward again.

"As such we do not wish to share our plan with those who could potentially then share it with the enemy unintentional it may be." Dark mutters went through the crowd, but Mikhail nodded his agreement.


	32. Chapter 32

After many of the hunters had left, Joseph stepped forward to explain their plan to the rest of the hunters that were still present. Cole remained quiet as he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"We have discussed with to two people who know the high mage. They believe that if we attempted to withdraw a more accurate location form the vampire's mind we risk tipping our hand and the mage will kill the warriors. Also we believe that he will sense a group of hunters, but we need some to distract and if possible to defeat the mage. So, we will get one of the vampires to lead us there, from there some of the warriors will distract the mage, While Cole and I free the hunters" Cole watched as a male near the back stirred at this. She recognized him from Joseph's memories. Zacarias De La Cruz. She had also seen Joseph's deep respect and fear for this Carpathian.

"You and your woman are too young to fight this enemy."

"We do not plan to engage the enemy directly, merely free his prisoners." Zarcarias shuck his head in disgust and would have said more, but Cole stepped forward. Time for their plan. She bowed elegantly in his direction.

"Mr. De La Cruz, I understand you believe I am not able or should not be allowed to participate in this endeavor; from what I have seen in my lifemate's mind there is nothing I say that can convince you." Zacarias nodded. "So, how about a wager?"

"I do not make bets or compromises when it comes to the safety of our women." Cole nodded her understanding.

"Ah, but my understanding is you value honor." Cole's voice suddenly hardened "Trust me when I say I keep my vows, and I will not let someone break those vows for me, because they have too much pride that they refuse to acknowledge my abilities. You show me a great disrespect by doing this. I understand you believing in what you have not seen and hence the wager. If I lose I will change the plan to accomplish this." The Dragonseeker siblings looked horrified, this whole plan riding on the ability for her to join them. "If I win you simply withdraw your objection to the plan, I would not ask that you support it." Zacarias watched her through narrowed eyes and Cole took this as her queue to continue.

"I would wager that my youngest sister can bring you to your knees before you are able to catch her." Sarah's eyes gleamed and she had the biggest smile on her face like Cole had just given her the greatest present in the world. Zacarias however scoffed at the mere idea.

"I will not fight a child."

"Then you will defiantly fall to your knees." Zacarias glared at her and Joseph shifted nervously beside her. Cole got the feeling Zacarias was communicating with someone else, because in after such a blatant taunt he almost seemed like he was laughing. "Think about this way if it makes you feel better. If my little sister of only years can beat you, think of what her older sister is capable of."

"I will not fight a child." He replied firmly. Cole smiled internally. She had dissected everything Joseph knew about the hunters present. What little she had gleaned about the De La Cruz brothers was they were very competitive with each other, always trying one up the others. That was their main weakness. Cole picked out each of Zacarias's brothers before sighing in defeat.

"Well if you are so sure you will lose and wish to save yourself the embarrassment I understand. I'm sure one of your brothers will gladly oblige and take your place." There was stunned silence. Gale management to keep from snorting at the faces they were all making. Cole noted all four of Zacarias's brothers had a combination or horror, shock, and do right laughter in their eyes. The one called Rafael turned his laughter into a cough. His eldest brother shot him a death glare. Even Mikhail looked a little horrified, but Gregori looked very amused and he eyed Cole knowingly. Cole looked at them innocently trying so hard not to laugh as the Carpathian struggled with the emotions crashing through him. If he refused he would be a laughing stalk in front of his brothers, but if he accepted he would lose.

"Fine." It was said almost blandly, but Cole could see the fire in the other man's eyes and knew he meant business. She turned to her little sister who was practically dancing she was so excited.

_You mean Cole?_

_Yes Princess, I meant every word. You remember what we've taught you right?_ Sarah nodded and took the senbon needles Cole handed her. Each of them dipped in a special compound that Gale had been working on and finally completed after looking at Gary's notes.

The hunters and the few who had brought their lifemates moved to the edge of the wall. Maria sat down on the floor and closed her eyes deliberately. If Zacarias figured out that Maria could see Sarah he wouldn't hesitate to use that to his advantage. Cole deliberately closed herself off from Mikhail so Zacarias wouldn't be able to peel back the illusion. Cole nodded to Mikhail to act as a judge.

"Begin." Sarah's form smeared as though she had been made of paint and vanished. Zacarias snorted and waved his hand casually. Sarah reappeared behind him and looked frightened. Zacarias stalked toward her and grabbed her wrist only to have his hand pass through her. The image of Sarah smiled innocently at him. It then drew a small dagger and dragged a line across her small palm. Cole's heart did an odd flip. This was something Cole normally did, but she discouraged her sister from doing. Then suddenly the smell of blood swamped the room as if Sarah had bled everywhere.

Cole knew it wasn't so, but many of the hunters were looking horrified and muttering worriedly. Fools, Cole thought disdainfully. She was surprised that a group that relied so heavily on blood couldn't tell that her sister had merely used Cole's own ability to spread the blood cells throughout the room. Glancing at Gregori she noted the slight twinge of recognition. He had fallen into the same trap. Suddenly there were a dozen Sarah's each with a bleeding hand. Cole noticed a slight shift in the molecules as some of the blood was much more concentrate around the Sarah directly behind Zacarias. He must have scented it because he instantly whirled for that Sarah. Carefully and quickly his hand formed a bracelet around her wrist. His hand instantly recoiled and came away bloody. The image of Sarah vanished and a single senbon needle clattered to the floor. Checkmate, Cole thought.

Zacarias blinked as if tired and turned to look at the others. He carefully selected the next Sarah and laid a hand on her shoulder. She vanished and another senbon needle clattered to the floor. He took another step the fell to his knees his eyes struggling to stay open. Sarah, the real Sarah was instantly there supporting him.

"I'm sorry I didn't think you would grab the senbon so hard." While supporting Zacarias's weight she laid a hand over his hand that still bled. Golden light spilled from her hand and there were awed whispers. Even Mikhail looked in awe of the girl. Finally Zacarias was able to stand on his own. Sarah smiled meekly at him. "How did I do?" Zacarias eyed Sarah in a way that had Cole moving quickly to her side.

"It is not a woman's place to fight." He told her quite plainly, Sarah looked down at the floor like she might cry. If Cole hadn't known her sister was faking she might have hit Zacarias. "But you did very well for one so young." Sarah looked up clearing beaming at the compliment.

Several of the De La Cruz brothers came over to greet Cole and Sarah all of them were quickly wrapped around Sarah's little fingers. They gave her praise an asked her to show them how she did her tricks so they could beat their brother. Zacarias snarled at them. Several other warriors came to speak with Cole, she spoke with them only once Joseph was by her side. She kept her hand firmly around his. Cole was only half paying attention to their comments, she was mostly watching Sarah as she approached Zacarias and spoke with him. She couldn't hear what she was saying but she could guess. Sarah was a natural born healer and had been in Cole's mind. Joseph had described Zacarias's lifemate to her once. She was a beautiful woman in all ways; she had even protected Zacarias's resting place from a vampire and lost her voice as a result. Sarah had two gifts that were very much intertwined. She was a healer, but she was also an empath. She would want to give this gift to Zacarias especially after embarrassing him. She just hoped the hunter would accept the gift.


	33. Chapter 33

There were still two people Cole needed to speak with. She scanned the crowd and found the first pair attempting to slip away quietly. Cole let them get around the bend before following them. To Joseph she asked,

_Can you stay close to my sisters?_

_Of course my little warrior kitten._ Cole growled at this, but secretly she was pleased. She could feel Joseph hovering close to his sister just like she would, he even bared his teeth at some of the hunters who got a little too close. Cole turned her attention to the couple making their way through the tunnels. She sent a call ahead and felt them stop and wait for her. When she reached them she was suddenly very nervous. Solange Sangria was a beautiful woman and powerful warrior, her lifemate was no less beautiful and equally as powerful. The other women saw Cole falter and asked,

"Yes?" That gave her the courage to swallow her fear.

"I wished to ask you something Solange." The woman's gaze shifted slightly towards the much taller male beside her, he simply shrugged. Both of them turned and waited for Cole to continue. She took a deep breath before asking, "I do not wish to offend you, but I need information. My family has jaguar blood." She noticed the flicker behind Solange's eyes, something between fear and worry. "I believe both my sisters with end up being lifemates to Carpathian men, and one of my sisters the jaguar is very strong, is there anything you could tell me about the -." She wasn't sure how to conversion without it sounding like something vile and disgusting, but there was understanding and even sympathy behind their eyes.

"I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to ask. My blood is pure jaguar yes, but it is different so the conversion wasn't as difficult for me as it was my cousin. I'm sure she could tell you what you needed to know. I could arrange a meeting?" Cole quickly accessed Joseph's mind and found a small amount of information on Solange's cousin. She was the youngest De La Cruz's lifemate was all Joseph really knew.

"I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you." Cole inclined her head in Solange's direction, showing the older woman a small sign of respect. Then she turned to leave.

"Wait." Cole paused and turned back to them. "That was very brave what you did, what your sister did." Cole nodded and bowed deeply and as elegantly as possible.

"That is a great honor coming from you, my sisters will be thrilled you think so." Then she quickly left before the couple would notice that the praise had made Cole's eyes water. It had been a very long time since Cole or her family had sought the approval of someone outside their little family circle. To have it now from so many just about overwhelmed her. Then Joseph was there in her mind, steadying her.

_You might want to hurry back, I think your sister is trying to get the De La Cruz family to take her home with them._ Cole nodded and made her way back to the main chamber. Some of the hunters were looking at her with a mixture of disapproval and respect. Not that she gave a rat's ass what they thought as long as she kept her family safe. A tall hunter who made her shiver stepped in front of her. Beside him was a woman with short blond hair that reminded Cole of a pixie from legend, though Cole doubted any pixie carried a gun.

Lucian and Jaxon Daratrazanoff. Cole swallowed hard. She had been trying to put off this meeting even though it was essential to her plan. Cole squared her shoulders and inclined her head slightly to Lucian and Jaxon.

"Mr. Daratrazanoff."

"Joseph said you wished to speak with me." Cole turned her mind to Joseph and let him feel her glare.

_Coward._

_Yes I am, that man is frightening._

"Yes, according to your niece you have the most powerful voice." Jaxon smiled at this like she was sharing a private joke. Lucian however remained impassive.

"Yes, I wondered about that part of your plan."

"Can you convince the vampire to go back to his lair without leaving a trace of yourself?" Lucian snorted and Jaxon's smile got bigger.

"Of course. But you don't want me to assist outside of that of that." Cole shuck her head no.

"I can only hide a few people from the eyes of the mage and his traps. My sister could hide more, but since she will not be coming with we need to keep the number of hunters that come with down." For the first time she saw approval in Lucian's eyes.

"You just fought very hard to get your sisters the ability to fight and you are taking that away now?" Cole shuck her head no.

"My sister doesn't have the skill level to go up against the mage, but someone from our family must go to provide the shield and illusions. I fought for my sisters to have the right to learn and decide what they want to do with their futures whatever they choose I want to help them." Lucian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Gregori said you would abandon our race and even kill us all to protect your sister. So why help our hunters, epically those who are not mated?" Lucian gave her a pointed look. Cole felt the full force of his voice and felt the compulsion to answer. She slammed down her mental shields but his voice was still ringing through her mind.

"Are you asking or demanding?" It was said through grit teeth and Joseph was instantly beside her glaring at Lucian. Jaxon rolled her eyes and elbowed her lifemate. He gave her a look before replying.

"I'm sorry, I was asking." The ringing in her mind ceased.

"I meant what I said, but I also know what it is like to like be at a vampire's mercy. I will not leave them to that." Lucian rose his eyebrows at this, and Cole got the feeling he was looking into her soul. While she wasn't lying it wasn't the whole truth either. She noticed Joseph stumbled across the secret in her mind while they had been training, but she had made sure he kept quiet.

"Is that all?" Jaxon looked from Lucian to Cole. Cole nodded.

"Yes, now if you'll excuse me I think the De La Cruz family is trying to take my little sister home with them." She inclined her head to both of them and then slipped back to her sister's side. Maria and Gale were already standing there. The brothers were talking about each of their lifemates.

It took only a matter of moments for the family to invite them over to meet their lifemates. Though they were nervous with Gale coming along, until he said he needed to work on a project at home. Together the two families made their way to a sprawling cabin nestled in the mountain.

Five woman stood on the porch waiting. Cole noticed one of them was clearly caring a child and was pretty far along. Another girl bore a slight resemblance to Skyler. The next was dressed in very sophisticated clothes and heels so high they made Cole cringe. Next was a taller woman that resembled Solange and reminded Cole of an Amazon. Lastly was a slight woman with a thick black braid.

Sarah skipped forward and introduced herself to the women she stopped in front of the last woman and signed,

_Hello_ The woman smiled and signed back,

_Hello, it is nice to see someone who can sign._

_A friend of ours is deaf._ The woman nodded as Zacarias came to stand by her side and put an arm around her waist. She looked up at him with complete and unconditional love._ I trust your husband has told you why I am here? _Margarita nodded. _If you don't want you do not have to. _The woman nodded and bit her lip glancing up at Zacarias. He remained impassive, but smiled gently at her. Cole got the image of a rock melting.

_I'll do it._

_Then let's go inside and you can make yourself comfortable._ The others were whispering with their lifemates asking what was being said. When they explained there were slight gasps and a few muttered questions Sarah turned to Cole. _Will you lend me strength?_

_Always princess. _Rafael came up to Cole and asked,

"Can your sister do this?" Cole could see the hope and fear in the man's eyes. He worried for his brother and his lifemate. Zacarias, Margarita, and Sarah had already gone inside.

"My sister is very gifted, on occasion she gets almost this compulsion to help certain people. When she does she always heals the person. Scars remain the same, but the damage under it is repaired. If she says she can, I believe her."

Together everyone entered the house to see Sarah standing next to Margarita. Her hands were laid across the other woman throat and a golden light spilled from her hands. The usual awe came from the women and their lifemates. An hour slid by and Sarah finally started syphoning Cole's strength until both of them were swaying with weariness. Maria steadied Sarah and Joseph wrapped his arm around Cole's waist. The gold light faded and Sarah took a step back.

"It is done." Everyone was holding their breath as Margarita turned to look at Zacarias. She took a deep breath before saying,

"Zacarias?" her voice cracked and was rough causing her to cough a little, but none the less there. There was a moment of silence before the women shrieked their joy and rushed Margarita. The brothers were congratulating Zacarias. Sarah cleared her throat and silence fell almost reverently. Cole wasn't so tired it might have been funny.

"Your voice is like any other muscle. It needs to be worked," Sarah gave Zacarias a very pointed look "and stretched, but not too much." After saying thing she glanced at all of the brothers and their lifemates. Everyone nodded their agreement.


	34. Chapter 34

Sarah sat and spoke with everyone with Maria and Joseph hovering close to her. Cole turned to Juliette and Riordan. The other woman smiled openly at Cole as she approached them.

"My cousin said you had questions for me about being Jaguar." Cole nodded and asked if they could speak in another room. Riordan lead them to a formal dining room. Juliette sat at the head of the large table with Riordan hovering protectively behind her.

"I'm sure you have noticed Maria is Jaguar."

"Yes, curious that your other siblings don't feel quite as strongly though. You feel like Jaguar and yet I don't sense it in your youngest sister and brother." Cole nodded

"Only Maria has ever been able to reach her cat. I occasionally felt it, but could never reach the same way." The other woman's sharp eyes seemed to dig deeper into what Cole was saying.

"You fear she is a lifemate to of the hunters." It was a statement that prompted her to explain. Cole licked her lips.

"I know she is." Riordan and Juliette exchanged surprised hopeful glances. "I dream on occasion. Snippets, fragments, possibilities, paths call it what you will, but they come and the one thing they have made clear is that my family will be Carpathian. I cannot change this and now that I am Carpathian I would not want to, but I also get warnings that Maria's future is coming to what I call a crossroads. Several different ways this could go, in some she is dead, in others she lives, in a few she forever broken. I want all information I can on Jaguar, because it is strongest in her." Juliette looked up at Riordan then offered her arm to Cole.

"Take what I offer sister." Cole eyed her wrist suspiciously glancing between the pair.

"Are you sure?" When she nodded Cole stepped forward and gently took the other woman's wrist. As gently as possibly while not letting her eyes leave Riordan Cole bit down. The blood was like a fireball to her tired system. She took just enough to make a connection and then sealed the wound with a quick flick of her tongue. Then she stepped back as quickly as possible. Cole reached out and felt Juliette's mind. The other woman had summed up all her memories about the change into one massive memory that Cole shared with her. It had been worse than her own conversion, because the cat fought the change all the way. Cole jerked out of the memory when it was finally through and found Joseph supporting her. Cole thanked them and said to Joseph,

_It's time to go home. _Joseph nodded and let Cole walk on her own. They both knew it was her pride and fear for her sister that kept Cole standing straight and pushing the memories away. When the two of them came back Maria and Sarah were braiding two of the other's women's hair. Sarah was chatting happily with everyone while Maria concentrated with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. This was an odd trait that Maria alone had, but no one bothered to point it out.

"Are you two ready to head home?" Sarah looked as if she were horrified by the idea of leaving. Maria quickly tied off the braid and said to Manolito who stood behind her watching the whole process with rapt attention,

"That's how you braid, just make sure you are gentle and don't tug. Some things are just better to do by hand." Maria then got up and stood by Cole. Mary Ann fingered the perfect braid and smiled mischievously at Manolito.

"Now you don't have an excuse not to caveman." Manolito grinned at his lifemate wolfishly.

"I look forward to it." Sarah tied off her braid in Colby's hair before joining her sisters by the door. They quickly said their good byes and made their way home. When they walked through the door Cole reached for Gale's mind tentatively. He was so engrossed in the project he was working on he didn't even feel Cole touch his mind. She decided to leave him be withdrawing back to her own mind. To her sisters she said,

"Alright it's time for bed." The groan from both of them almost made Joseph laugh. They could both see the arguments rising up and Cole held up a hand to stop them. "The sun comes up in only a few hours and you all need your rest. You do have school tomorrow." Both girls' eyes lit up and they went streaking from the room to their beds. Joseph chuckled as little feet scurried to beds.

"I never knew children actually enjoyed school." Cole smiled.

"I suppose a lot of kids don't, but me and my sisters were homeschooled so it will be a chance for them to get to know kids their own age who are gifted like them." Cole bit her bottom lip. "Though I do worry about them."

"Why?"

"My sisters grew up with a certain amount of respect given to them, even from adults. Our grandparents, parents, or even those in the circus were honest with my sisters and treated them like adults, but allowed them to be children. I know my sisters have quite the temper and a prideful streak a mile long. My fear is they will react poorly to someone and cause trouble." Joseph chuckled darkly at the thought.

"I know Travis will be in their class and he can be pushy, I think your sisters will teach the teachers a few valuable lessons." Cole rubbed her eyes.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"They'll be alright, besides we have other things to worry about." A smile spread across Cole's face as she struggled to keep her mind blank. There was still one more thing they needed to do before they left. She had seen in it Joseph's mind that the binding ritual was not complete and he was holding back from it to give her time. In the blink of an eye she shifted shape to a mountain lion.

Joseph eyed her suspiciously. Her mind had gone blank like when she was trying to hide something from him. But somehow she was even more beautiful in the cat's body. She prowled closer to him, her eyes fixed on him hungrily. He beast inside him lifted its head. Cole dropped down into a crouch and Joseph held up his hands in supplication.

"Cole, what are you doing?" He felt her smile as she sprang at him. He caught her as she tackled him to the couch. Her smell called to him and set the beast roaring. Suddenly she sprang away from him and spirited out the open door. Joseph changed in a blurring motion and looped after her. She hadn't gone very far, she was just inside the tree line. When Joseph came close she gliding just out of his reach and flicked her tail in his face. Joseph pounced and shifted back to human at the same time.

"You were trying to keep something from me Joseph." Her voiced purred through him setting everything inside him on fire. The beast roared for his mate. Joseph kissed her and responded instantly melting against him.

"We don't have to do this."

"Yes we do, but I also want to." She nipped playfully at his neck and growl rumbled up her throat. Joseph groaned but finally gave in,

"As my lady wishes." He scooped her up and took her back to the chamber beneath the house where they made love together until the sun rose up and forced them to sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

The sun was just starting to wane when Joseph and Cole woke at the same time. They were still naked and curled up under the soil. Angry radiated through the both of them. Joseph watched as Cole followed the anger back to Maria. She was holding boy up by the collar of his shirt. If she let go he would fall back into the table. Another girl was crying in the background

_Maria! What are you doing?_

_He said we were weak and that we should follow him and do what he said. He made his sister cry and told he needed to apologize to her. He said we were just girls._

_So what did you do?_

_I tripped and told him I'd drop him if he didn't apologize._

_Maria, hurting this boy will not make his happy, and attacking him out of pride is beneath you._

_He's been walking around like he's better than us!_

_I don't care._ Cole's voice was harsh as she examined the memories leading up to the fight. It had been an older brother picking on his little and went too far. He hadn't necessarily been nice to Maria, but he hadn't been mean either. What had made everything snap was when he had shoved his little sister and she started to cry. Maria had told him to apologize and he had said that he didn't need to because she was a crybaby.

Maria had simply reacted after that. She swept her leg down and tripped in a smooth motion that Cole had taught her. Joseph was impressed with how quickly she had caught the boy. Now he was afraid, but pride held him back from apologizing.

Maria grudgingly pulled the boy back to standing position. He shuck slightly and Cole reached through Maria and spoke,

"Are you alright?" The boy froze looking into Maria's eyes and seeing that it was no longer just Maria that was there. He nodded quickly. "Care to explain what's going on?" The boy swallowed hard,

"It was nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing. It looked like my sister was going to hurt you." Color formed across the boy's cheeks and he looked at the floor scuffing his shoe.

"I was teasing my sister and went too far."

"Why would that make my sister want to hurt you?" Finally the boy looked up at Maria.

"Because I didn't apologize and I was mean." Cole nodded in Maria's body.

"Now, I know your parents will tell you that's wrong, I have told my sister she was wrong to hurt you, but I must ask, why would you be mean and not apologize for something you know is wrong?" The boy's gaze dropped down to the floor again. Gently Cole continued, "Your sister is precious gift, you are a precious gift in this world, but that doesn't give you excuse to act pridefully. Will you all be able to behave until the adults wake?" the boy nodded along with Maria and Cole directed them to the crying girl. "Then why don't you apologize to your sister and cheer her up." then she withdrew from her sister's mind.

Joseph stared at her in wonder. She snuggled closer to him.

_I'm impressed._

_Why?_

_You handled that well._ Cole shrugged.

_I may not like men or boys telling me I can't and belittling me because I'm a woman, but that doesn't mean I'd condone violence just to prove a point. Both of them were reacting out of pride not out of a desire to protect some they cared about where in lies the very important distinction._

_Because if they were protecting someone violence would be acceptable?_

_Yes and no. It should not be your first choice, but your family should be put first whatever your decision is, even if you don't like it._

_Like the fact that you're sure that one of the five that were taken is Maria's lifemate._ Cole nodded.

_It wasn't just the visions, when Maria first warned me her thoughts were solely for one man, even though she didn't know him. I knew if I killed him she would follow and not even know why. I may not be found of the policies of the Carpathian prince until now, but I will protect my sister._

_Is that why you stepped in front of Mikhail?_

_No, I stepped in front of him to save him, I see that if I didn't the Carpathian people would be no more, because his son is too young and I do not think his daughter carries the ability to carry the race._

_And you noticed this all in one moment? _The memory of Cole stepping in front of the vampire's attack was still raw and was almost too much to handle.

_Yes, some things just become clear when I fight, I enter another state sometimes it gives access to knowledge I have no way of knowing._

_Show me._ Joseph could see the moments in her mind, but they were blurred in a way that made it impossible to see what happened, but the memory was soaked in violence and blood.

_I will, but later when it is needed. I fear it will be needed soon._


End file.
